The Child of Time
by BadWolfRisen
Summary: After Rose is left in Pete's World for the first time, something happens that changes her for the better. She was born with a destiny. Bad summary, but I promise a good story. Rose/Ten with a little bit of Rose/Eleven. Nothing lasting though.
1. Enter: Bad Wolf

__Post Doomsday. Continuing on from Pete's world and Rose's side of the story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who, that privilege belongs to the BBC. It would be nice to own David Tennant though... I should work on that.

In the beginning: italics are the doctor speaking and the scene. Bold italics is Bad Wolf (Rose and Wolf together) and regular font is the Dalek emperor.

When the story starts with Rose in the Tyler mansion: italics are communication between Rose and Wolf. Words in bold italics are Wolf outside of Rose (chapter one) and the TARDIS (chapter two) speaking with rose. Thoughts are in regular sentences.

It's simple enough to understand once you start reading.

Anyways, enough babbling... Onto the story.

* * *

><p>The Child of Time<p>

_"__**I looked into the TARDIS, and the TARDIS looked into **__**me.**__" A woman glowing gold told the man on the ground in front of her. "__**I am the Bad Wolf, I create myself. I take the words, I scatter them in time and space; a message, to leave myself here.**__"_

_ "You've got to stop; you've got the entire vortex running through your head. You're going to burn." said the man._

"_**I want you safe, my doctor; protected from the false God.**__" She replied._

"You cannot hurt me, I am immortal." _Said a disembodied voice from somewhere above the goddess-like woman; the false God._

"_**You are tiny. I can see the whole of time, and space, every single atom of your existence and I divide them.**__" She thrust out a hand and her eyes shone with a brighter golden hue. One of many beings in front of her was disintegrated from the bottom and the top, suddenly thrust out of existence. "__**Everything must come to dust, all things. Everything dies.**__" She looked around her and the rest of the creatures, one by one, they turned to golden dust, scattered into the wind._

"_**The Time War ends.**__" She concluded._

"I will not die, I cannot die!" _The false God closed his eye in fear of what would happen next. Slowly, the craft that he was in shattered like the rest, only to be blown away by time._

"_You've done it, now stop. Just let go." The man was scared, terrified of what would become of the woman in front of him. _

"_**How can I let go of this? I bring life,**__" When this was said, a man, whose life had formerly been taken by the beings that had just been demolished, woke from his death._

"_But this is wrong! You can't control life and death." The man was now scared for everyone else, not just the goddess' life._

"_**But, I can. The sun and the moon. The day and night. Why do they hurt?**__" _

"_The power is going to kill you and it's my fault!" said the cowering man. _

"_**I can see everything. All there is, all that was, all there ever could be.**__" She said. The man stared at her almost reverently and stood up, his eyes never leaving hers._

"_That's what I see all the time. Doesn't it drive you mad?"_

"_**My head...**__" she cried. She could feel the fires welling up inside of her, threatening to burn all that she was._

"_Come here," Said the man, holding his arms out for her._

"_**It's killing me.**__"_

"_I think you need a doctor." Finished the man. He slowly brought his head down to hers until his lips were upon hers. Slowly, the time vortex, the Bad Wolf, was being drained from the golden woman and into her saviour, known as the Oncoming Storm to some. When he was sure that the entire vortex was gone from her being, he released her from the kiss and she fainted into his arms, forgetting all that just happened. _

xXThe_Child_of_TimeXx

"How long are you going to stay with me?" A man turned to his companion and cocked his eyebrow in question. She turned to him and in mock thought, waited a few seconds before answering.

"Forever." She stated.

xXThe_Child_of_TimeXx

In a seemingly regular world, in a fairly normal city, in a larger than normal house sat an abnormal girl. Sure, at a first glance, she looked just like any other person, but she was so, so much more. In truth, Rose Tyler was a time traveler, but it was more than just that. Her family didn't know it, her friends didn't know it and even she, herself, didn't know it, but ever since she had looked into the heart of the TARDIS there had been something different about her.

When she had been with the doctor, he had brought it up and they'd run some tests in the TARDIS' med bay but there had been nothing out of the ordinary going on with her as far as they could tell. They'd dropped it and continued on with their travels as always.

That is, until they returned to earth where her mother showed them 'the ghost shift'. Every day, at specific times, these people-like shades were showing up and the doctor found it just weird and wrong.

As they had found out, when Torchwood screwed everything up yet again by continuing the ghost shift, the shades were Cybermen coming through from an alternate world, Pete's world, ripping a hole through the fabric of the two universes, where Mickey, Jake, Pete and that world's Torchwood were supposed to have been decimating the remaining cybermen after Cybus industries had been shut down.

When Rose returned to the world with the doctor after he'd sent her away she made it perfectly clear that she'd already made her choice and would stay with him until the day she died. He seemed to disagree at first, looking at her as if she'd lost her mind but then he grinned his grin and they'd used the super clamps on the wall and opened the void which proceeded to draw in all of the escaped Daleks and Cybermen.

When one of the levers started to fall, resulting in a closing breach, Rose let go of her clamp and made a grab for it. It worked for a minute and then she couldn't hold on any longer. Just as she was about to enter the void, Pete appeared, used his dimension jumper and transported him and his surrogate daughter back to his world. The Void closed and the doctor was left alone after the battle of Canary Wharf.

Sometime later, after having a meltdown in the alternate Torchwood, Rose awoke from a dream hearing the doctor's voice, telling her to follow it. She told her mum and Pete and Mickey because they were the only ones who would listen to a story like that and they packed up and left at daybreak, searching for the doctor's voice.

When they got to Darlig Ulv-Stranden , a beach in Norway that translated into Bad Wolf bay, Pete, Jackie and Mickey all stayed by the car while Rose walked to the middle of the beach. The doctor had burnt up a sun just to say goodbye, to see his Rose one last time. She told him she loved him, and he was too late in saying it back because his image cut out. Rose had just stood there, looking lost until Mickey had to drag her away.

Now here she was, six months later, sitting in not-her kitchen, drinking not-her tea before going to not-her job. She couldn't call anything this world hers because it wasn't, she belonged with the doctor, that's where her heart was, where it would always be.

Pete (she had trouble calling him her dad) had gotten her a job at this world's Torchwood. The people there had been sceptical at first because what could a twenty year old know about extra-terrestrial affairs, but after they'd had one encounter with a scientist trying to de-age himself but instead changing the entirety of his molecular structure, they realised exactly how amazing Rose was.

"Good mornin sweetheart." Her mum walked into the kitchen dressed in her housecoat, breaking Rose out of her reverie. Jackie was already four months pregnant with a little boy. Exactly as Rose had expected, her mum had gotten used to being in this world very early on and had gotten right back into the habit of everyday life with a husband.

"Mornin mum," she replied, taking a sip of the tea in front of her. "Did you sleep well?"

"Oh, yeah, fine. It's getting harder though, with this stomach I'm growing." Jackie poured herself a cup of tea and sat down at the table with her daughter. "So! First day back to work, how're you feeling love?"

"Same as when the migraines started mum. They've not gone down at all."

Rose had taken a couple weeks off after there had been some alien encounter in which she had been injured. From then on, she had acquired this constant, drum-like, pounding in her head that wouldn't get better. It was making her dizzy with a running fever and she couldn't work in that condition. It wouldn't do to have hostile aliens invade and her not being able to defend the planet.

Not that she would care, this wasn't her world.

"I guess you'll just have to wait it out. I'm going to miss having you 'round the house all day."

It was then that Pete Tyler walked into the kitchen.

"Good mornin family. Ready for work, Rose?"

"As ready as I'm going to get." Rose stood from the table and rinsed her cup once through in the sink. She followed Pete to the front door and donned her coat while slipping on her work shoes. She said farewell to her mum and exited the front door.

"How're you feeling dear?" Pete asked as he opened the door to the driver's side of the car. Rose walked around to the other side and got in.

"Better." She said stiffly. Somewhere, in the recesses of her mind, she knows she shouldn't be so cold to the man who was filling in for her dad but she couldn't help not thinking of him as such. She _knows_ that this isn't her dad. He may walk, talk and act like her dad but this wasn't the man who had read her stories as a child. This wasn't the man who'd had any hand, whatsoever, in raising her. That man was dead, and to her, anyone was a poor substitute. So, she distanced herself from him. She didn't need another person to miss when the doctor found a way to get her back. And he would, mind.

The car ride to Torchwood Tower was quiet and long. As soon as they got there, Mickey was coming out of the doors. When he saw the car, he hurried over to greet her. He swept her off of her feet in a huge bear hug.

"Rose! You're back! What's up, how are you feeling? Are you staying..."

"Mickey!" Rose interrupted with slight amusement shown in her features.

"Yeah, Rose?"

"Shut up. I'm feeling pretty much the same but I'm back and yes I'm staying."

"Oh, alright. Well you sure picked a hell of a time to show up. Jake just got some energy spike readings coming from the rift, but nobody reported seeing anything at all. It's strange so we were just heading over there to check things out." He motioned over his shoulder at Jake who was exiting the tower.

"Really? Action on the first day back, that's great! Let's get going then." She sauntered off towards the vehicle exiting the tower's garage with Jake, Pete and Mickey in tow. As soon as they were all in the black land rover, the four headed off for Cardiff.

When they got there, Rose immediately stepped out of the car and made her way over to where she could see a huge spaceship, smack-dab in the centre of the rift. Something was off, she could tell, but she couldn't put her finger on exactly what it was so she sighed and kept walking. She could hear the boys behind her, yelling at her to stop walking and to come back but she wasn't having any of it. Why weren't they following her? Couldn't they see the gigantic spacecraft?

'This isn't likely to be an invasion.' She thought to herself. Not if no one's come out of it yet. There were no traces that anything had entered or exited that ship since it landed.

The ship was circular in shape with two curved, triangular wing-shaped things on opposite sides of it. There was a large red dome on the top, about the size of the car they'd come in that cast a red shadow so she thought it had to be tinted and not solid.

At the front there was a deformity in the metal exterior with a pad next to it and a red hand-shaped print in the middle. She placed her hand on it, just to see if she could get in, and the door slowly opened.

"Rose! What are you doing, what's happening? What's making that noise?" Mickey called out from behind her. "Whatever it is, just leave it alone, don't do anything with it."

But how could she not. She couldn't ignore the big door opening in front of her. It was almost as if it were calling out to her, beckoning her and her alone to come closer, to enter, and who was she to decline.

Without pausing to see if the boys were following her, she walked up the stairs that had appeared in front of her. Yelling could be heard from behind her and then... a soft click. She turned to see the door shut behind her. There was a melody that could be heard in the way she was heading, soft and beckoning like before. It was drifting through the hall, originating from the door about 100 feet in front of her to her right.

As she walked, lights flickered on when she passed them, seemingly sensing her presence. Outside of the door where the song could be heard, if a little louder now, there was a pair of brighter lights that hung just at the top corner.

The room itself was big, even if barren.

'Bigger on the inside.' She thought ruefully, grinning sadly to herself. There were green lights lining the ceiling above and large circular lights placed dead centre on each wall. What caught her attention though, was the fact that in front of her, there were five topless and shoeless men, standing in a semi-circle.

Each man looked as human as anyone on earth. The ones in the middle all had brown hair and the two standing at the end were blond. They wore pants, but that was it as far as clothing went, that looked ragged and cut off about halfway down their calves. Their muscles weren't overly defined like a body builder's but they definitely were toned, especially their pectorals, abs and biceps. Their arms were spread, each hand about a hair-length away from the next, and their heads were inclined towards the ceiling. They seemed as though they were chanting. Not one for too much silence, Rose spoke up.

"Um, hello." She said. As soon as the first syllable had left her mouth, their heads had dropped, their eyes shot open and they lowered their arms to their sides. As soon as they stopped moving, the melody she'd been hearing stopped. 'So it was them.' She thought.

Suddenly she felt a presence within her mind, trying to break in. She glanced at the men in the room and the one in the middle seemed to be looking at her intently, like he was trying to communicate.

"I'm not telepathic if that's what you're trying mate. " She crossed her arms defiantly in front of her chest, daring him to contradict her.

"I'm sorry child, we sensed a presence within your mind and thought perhaps you were a telepathic being, but it's gone now." When he spoke, the sound of his voice washed over her like silk, calming her. He seemed to be the leader of the group. He started walking towards her and for the strangest reason she didn't feel as though she needed to back away. His presence didn't seem threatening at all.

"Who are you?" She asked. The man laughed at her forwardness.

"We are the same as you youngling. We are not of this world; not meant to be here, just as you are not." She was shocked. How could he know that she didn't belong in this universe? She voiced this thought and they all laughed. The man the furthest to the left answered this time.

"We have an ability that allows us to read auras, child. You are bathed in a golden light, tinged around the outside in green. We have an idea of what the green is but no inclination in the slightest as to what the golden aura means. This entire world is drowned in a soft yellow, but your line of green is of a different world entirely." The others around him were nodding their assent to his statement.

"So what are you lot doing here then?" They didn't seem to have any hostile intent towards the human race like so many other before them did.

"We sensed a disturbance in the universes on our way home. We came to see what it was and if we could set it right." The leader said. Again Rose was shocked. Did this mean that they would help her get back to her doctor? Before she could ask though, another thought came to her mind, something that was bugging her earlier. The area in Cardiff around the rift was usually buzzing with people, but when she was out there with Mickey, Pete and Jake, there had been no one. Why was no one around, in what was usually one of the busiest places. This she voiced.

"Why was the street empty when we got here? My friends and I, back outside, there was no one in the street. That doesn't usually happen when a spaceship lands, the area should be crawling with people, hundreds of reporters milling about." She was generally confused; there had been not a single person other than her boys and herself.

"Our machine is like that of an older race that died out some time ago. It is designed to take the form of that of its surroundings. Actually, that you were able to see it is amazing. You are human, correct?" The lot of them were looking at her with expressions akin to amazement and awe and wonder.

"Yeah, I'm as human as they come, " Well, more or less, if you don't count that she's covered in void stuff and travelled through time and space. "And, really, it wasn't... invisible... at all... That's why Mickey was asking where that noise was coming from!" She realized. "So, who are you guys then? You look human and you sound human but you're in an alien ship." The men looked amused. The other two brunettes who stood beside the leader stepped forward and slowly, she could see white spikes start to exit from their skin. Rose stood transfixed as the men now looked like overgrown blowfish.

"We are the Usgaran. We have more bones than the average human and we can control what they do." She watched again as the long, protruding bones that exited from each of their wrists, that looked somewhat like katana with no hilt or pommel, were laced with a green, goo-like substance. "Our blood can also become poison when it exits our bodies. We can, in fact, control whether it changes or not. The reason we sound human though is because we are mostly a telepathic race, but when we speak with other races, our brainwaves sync with theirs and translates what we say." He explained.

"Well, it's like déjà-vu with the TARDIS all over again." She muttered under her breath. Then she remembered what they said earlier about 'fixing what was wrong' and her whole demeanour changed. She looked hopefully at the men in front of her. "So, what you said earlier... about setting things right, does that mean I can get home, back to where I came from?" She was slightly afraid that answer wouldn't be an affirmative but that's what she got. "So how are we going to do this then?" Positively beaming at the Usgaran leader, her tongue caught between her teeth.

"Well," he started. "It's your choice, we can use the poison or we can use the bones. What'll it be?" Her mood dropped. What did he mean? The bones or the poison?

"What are you talking about? How am I supposed to get back with either of those options?" A tingling sensation in the back of her head seemed to be trying to warn her about something. 'Stupid conscience,' she thought. 'you're a little late in warning me about danger.' Internally she was grimacing at the lack of question and that she hadn't actually sensed any danger from these beings.

"Well, you are an anomaly in this world. You're actually destroying it by being here. So we're going to send you home, back to where we all come from; we're sending you to your death." He said this like it was an everyday occurrence. He seemed to think that she would just let them kill her. 'Well, I have just been standing here talking about it as if I had known what was going on.' So she played along for the moment.

"How is 'death' where I came from?" She asked. The ringing in the back of her head was getting stronger and the migraine she hadn't realized had gone was now coming back at full force.

"Death is where we all come from." He said in a condescending tone, as if he were speaking to a child. Judging by his earlier words, he probably thought he _was_ speaking to a child. "See, when you die, you go to the field of judgement. There, they decide when you will be reborn based on what you've done with your life. If you've done well, the sooner you'll be reborn and if you're bad..."

"Then you'll have to wait longer. I get it, but you really, really don't need to kill me." And then she thought about it. How did they know what happened when you die? "How do you know all of this? Have you all died?" They outright laughed at her.

"Everyone has died once. Everyone has died hundreds of time. The difference with our people, because we are the _most_ telepathic beings in the universe, it somehow allows us to retain our memories of previous lives. Probably... shouldn't've... said all that, but there you go. You need to die for this universe to be saved. So pick your poison... or bones." He smirked a little at the end, thinking he was funny.

Rose thought about it. 'Maybe if I died, with all the good me and the doctor have done, I could get back soon and in the right world. This could possibly be the only chance I have left of getting back. And then again, even if I don't, what have I got to live for here. Sure there's mum, but now she's having another kid, and she's got Pete. Mickey has Jake and the rest of his friends. I'm sure mum would look after him. Besides, if what these guys say is true, they're all going to die if I stay here so I'm saving their lives.' She was sure of herself now, she would let these men end her life and then she would get back to the doctor.

"Alright boys, does your poison hurt?" she asked. They looked at each other.

"No," answered the blowfish to the right.

"I guess that's better then, you know, let me die peacefully and all that. Let's get on with it then, before I change my mind. Can you fly this place somewhere away from the rift; otherwise my friends waiting outside will be waiting there for a long time." She was anxious. She was seriously just going to let these Usgaran kill her. The ringing in her head was getting clearer by the second.

The blond ones on the ends of the line left the room, supposedly to get the ship moving to some desolate place so they could leave her, and the world, in peace.

xXThe_Child_of_TimeXx

When they landed, the Usgaran prodded Rose back out the front door and she did so with reluctance... she was starting to lose her confidence. She knew that it was her or the universe, or at least, that's what she thought she knew. There was still a nagging feeling at the back of her head, like something was going to go wrong.

"Are you ready, child?" Their leader asked. They were in a large field, seemingly endless. In the distance she could see a ring of mountains. All around them were flowers of every colour. Blue, red, yellow, purple, pink, lavender, mauve, green, periwinkle, any colour you could think of. The wind was whipping around them, blowing their clothes in the wind. The sun's rays were raining down on them, a shining light that further exaggerated the goldenness of Rose's hair and the blond of the two Usgaran.

"As ready as I'll ever be, mate. Just do it."

A long, scythe-like bone started exiting from the side of the leader's wrist. Longer it grew and more fearful Rose became. A drop of green blood ran down the edge and he approached Rose.

"Kneel." He said in a commanding voice. Her head was telling her not to, to run away, but the farther part was welcoming it; welcoming the thought that she soon might see her doctor again, welcoming that she would be saving this universe and her family that lived here. That she would be saving her not-yet-born brother and hoping to whoever's out there that her mother might tell him of her. She knelt and closed her eyes. Hopefully it would be over quick.

The man ran the scythe down the hollow base of her throat. It burnt and she thought that was just the bone breaking skin. He pulled away and she soon realised that the awful burning sensation was getting worse. Her eyes shot open and she looked pleadingly at the man in front of her.

"You lied." She growled. He stepped back with a pleased look etched on his fine face. "You said it wouldn't hurt." She grits her teeth. The voice that came out of her mouth didn't sound at all like her.

"I did." He said shortly. "That was a lie. Humans still do that right, lie? It's a wonderful thing, lying. Can't do it with a telepathic race that can read your every thought, but humans, oh, that's another story." He grinned at her like the cat caught the canary, which, technically, he just did. "You see, my race don't like to outright kill people so we often use the poison to do so and we can leave our intended targets to die on their own. My friend, here, Abraxas, is the one who told you it wouldn't hurt. It wouldn't have done to have you say that you wanted to be slashed to death by our bones. So he told you it wouldn't hurt. Truth of the matter is, it will burn... like... hell. And there's nothing you can do to stop it." He started to laugh maniacally and soon the other joined him.

"So was everything a lie then? Would the universe really blink out of existence if I'd stayed? Did I really have a different aura? Do people really go to a place called 'the field of judgement' when they die. Or was it all a big lie?" She asked. She could feel the poison start to crawl through her at an agonizingly slow pace. The veins around her cut were being dyed black as the poison ran through them.

"That's the best part. The only thing we lied about was being good and the poison burning. If we didn't get rid of you, something worse would've sensed the disturbance and come to fix it. It would've been even more awful if that'd happened, so count your lucky stars that we got here first. And yes, your aura really is different and the field of judgement is real... for us Usgaran. We have no idea where humans or any other species go. Now, we must be off, you've got about an hour or so to live so... make it count and whatnot. We brought you here so you could at least die in peace." With that, the leader turned on his heel and walked away, the others following in his wake.

Once the Usgaran ship was out of sight, Rose slumped in defeat. She lay on the ground, her arms spread wide, looking up into the expansive sky above her. She could feel the poison now at least in her kidneys. The pounding in her head was getting worse by the second. For those weeks that she'd been off it had always been a constant dull drone of a headache and now it was as if it were coming closer, like it had been stuck behind a barrier before now, and it had broken through, trying to burst from her head.

"I know you can't hear me," She started, speaking to the air. "But I'm coming for you, I don't know how, I don't know when but the universes and death have never kept us apart before, so why should they start now?" She was bordering on hysterical, the fire easily touched most of her body now except her heart and head, and she was speaking to someone who wasn't there. The constant barrage of banging seemed concentrated in the middle of her forehead, dulling her senses. She knew she couldn't get up if she'd tried, then again why would she? She was dying... but she couldn't die, she hadn't said a proper goodbye to anyone yet. Before, she'd thought that maybe she'd be able to after the 'field of judgment' nonsense those Usgaran had talked about, but now she couldn't.

"I can't die." She said with finality. "I. Will. Not. Die!" She screamed, and the pain in her forehead burst, and then, like a fleeting thought, it was gone. The throbbing pain was gone. Just, disappeared. She kept looking at the sky, confused. "What happened?" She thought out loud.

"**I happened.**" Said a music-like voice from her left side. She whipped her head around, startled at the sudden voice that was not her own, only to realize too late that that was a bad idea for she could feel the fire starting to creep up her throat now.

"**Do not move too quick, child,**" Said the voice. Rose could see a strange, golden light emanating from where she was looking. It had a distinctly human shape, but, then again, so did the Usgaran. "**I know what you are thinking, but do not fret, I mean you no harm. Moving will only make the poison spread faster. It's a good thing that you came to the conclusion you did, when you did, for you only have about fifteen minutes left before the poison fully encompasses your heart. You and I, we have met before, but you do not remember, no, I couldn't let you remember before you were ready or you would have burnt...**" Rose had been transfixed by the golden being until she, or it, or whatever, had started talking about her memories and a decision. She cut in before it could say anything else.

"What are you talking about? You are the second alien I've met today and the first ones lied to me and have basically succeeded in killing me. Now you're talking about a conclusion and my memories. I'm pretty sure I haven't lost any memories and I haven't reached any conclusion other than 'I'm going to die and no one will know what happened to me'." The being laughed. It was oddly comforting, given the situation.

"**No, one would not remember forgotten memories. I made sure though, that you did not remember before now. And you did come to a conclusion; you decided that you would not die. And here I am. You may know me as TARDIS, but I am Bad Wolf... sort of.**" Rose was shocked. This was the TARDIS? How was that even possible? The TARDIS was in the other universe with the doctor. And what did it mean that it made her forget her memories or that she'd decided that she wouldn't die? She'd only meant that she couldn't die now! Not when she hadn't said a proper goodbye knowing what was coming.

"**Consciously, yes, that's what you meant, but subconsciously, you don't want to ever die. You want to spend your forever with the doctor and him with you.**" Said the TARDIS. Rose was stunned. Could the TARDIS read her mind? "**Yes, I can. But only because I've been living within you for so long.**" Well, that answers that, she thought. The TARDIS laughed beside her.

"So, which memories did you take? You said that I couldn't remember until now, so can you tell me what you took?" She asked, slightly hopeful.

"**Of course, my dear Rose. Do you remember satellite five?**" Rose nodded. "**Well, after the doctor sent you home, you, your male friend and your mother all worked at trying to get me open. When you succeeded, a gate inside of me opened where you could see into my soul and you absorbed all of me, every last bit of my essence. We returned to satellite five and decimated the daleks, saving our doctor. After, though, our doctor thought it was wrong, that no human was supposed to ever look into the heart of me and that you would die if he couldn't purge your mind of my essence. So he tried, he kissed you and took my soul into himself, but he couldn't hold it all and he put a block on your mind, making you forget what had happened and so you wouldn't burn. This was the cause of his regeneration. He saved you with the cost of him losing one of his lives.**" The TARDIS finished her story and Rose was amazed.

"So, why aren't I burning now? Apart from this poison, shouldn't my head be burning? And how are you here if the doctor took you from inside my head?"

"**Some things were meant to be Rose. What the doctor didn't know is that eventually, you would have had to have had the entire vortex running through your mind anyways. You never were destined to be an ordinary human. He couldn't take all of me from your mind because I was there in the first place; or, at least, a part of me. You were born, with a little bit of me, of the vortex, inside of you, destined from the very beginning of your short human life, to meet the doctor. The reason your head was burning the first time you took all of me in, was because you weren't yet ready. Once you accepted that you would spend the entirety of your forever with the doctor, once you realized that these sentiments were not once sided, then, and only then, would you be ready for what comes next.**"

"And what _does_ come next? I'm dying now; there_ is_ no _next_ for me. There's nothing I can do. I was too late. I'll never see my doctor again, I'll never see mum, or Mickey, or Pete, or my little brother..."

"**Stop!**" Yelled the TARDIS. "**You. Are. Better than this! Rosana Marion Tyler, have you not been listening to anything I've been saying? One; You've got the entire time vortex working its way back into your mind right now, growing, and soon it will consume you; dead or alive. If you're dead when it happens, then it will revive you. If you're alive and in this state, well let's just say the pain you're feeling now will be a walk in the park compared to the vortex. Your mind isn't built for the vortex yet because you, Rose Tyler, need something more; you need me.**" The TARDIS stood above Rose, if the burning she was feeling now would be nothing compared to what she would later, then how could the TARDIS help? So she asked.

"What do I need you for? Sorry, but from what you've told me, last time you were in my mind, I almost died; I would've died if the doctor hadn't saved me, so how can you help me now?" She could feel the poison at the bottom of her skull now, threatening to rise up to her brain and burn her from within. It seemed like she had the choice to burn, die, be reborn and burn some more or burn and live.

"**You need me because if you accept me into your mind, your heart and soul, then you will be ready to take on the vortex.**" The TARDIS explained. "**You will be able to do so without burning, but there's a catch-**"

"Well your catch can't be as bad as having to live with my brain burning. I accept you, TARDIS, or Bad Wolf, whatever you want to be called. I accept your offer." Rose said with conviction. The TARDIS cocked her head to the side. '**Humans**,' she thought. '**Always so impulsive**.' She decided to voice the catch anyways because she didn't want to merge with the Tyler woman only to have her very angry afterwards.

"**I am only Bad Wolf when you and I are one, but Rose... the catch is that you would no longer be human. Understand that this would happen anyway but if we are combined, you would become part time vortex, part...**" She didn't know how to tell her the rest. It was a plus but she didn't want the woman to be even more impulsive and not think about the consequences of her actions.

"Part time vortex, part what else?" Rose asked. If she would be part slitheen or some other weird alien that her and the doctor had met, she would seriously have to think this over.

"**No,**" The TARDIS laughed. Rose, having forgot that the TARDIS could read her mind, was surprised at that answer, until she remembered. "**It's nothing like that child. This would be a good thing but, before I tell you, I seriously want you to think about this. The only thing that would change would be your internal body structure; none of your appearance would be altered. At a glance, you would still be human. I won't tell you what else you'll be for fear that you won't think about my offer and just jump in head first, but I will tell you that only your mind-set might stay human.**" For a short while, anyways, she thought.

Rose thought about it, really thought about it. But honestly, there wasn't much to think about. Like she had said, she would rather become one with the TARDIS and not be human anymore than die because of the Usgaran poison and then have the vortex take over her mind anyways without the TARDIS's protection.

"I understand, TARDIS, I do. But no matter what you say, I have to live. If merging with you will let me live without the burning in my head, even if I won't be human anymore, even if I die soon after anyways, I have to live. On the off chance that I will see my doc..." the TARDIS smirked at what Rose was going to say. "I mean, the doctor again, that's what I have to live for. Not for Mickey, not for Pete, not as much for my mum or my baby brother, but for the doctor. For the man who showed me I was more than just a shop girl, more than any average human. He showed me that there's more to life than just living it. And I need that. So whatever it is that I'll become is only a small price to pay for even a short amount of time with the doctor; with my doctor, my wonderful, smart, brilliant, fantastic, crazy, smooth-talking doctor. So bring it on TARDIS, because I'm ready; whatever it is, I'll do it." Rose's eyes were brimming with tears. She didn't know where that'd come from, but she was proud of it. The TARDIS looked fondly at the woman in front of her.

"**Very well,**" She stated. "**Rose when this starts, there will be pain, a bit more than you are in now because the entirety of your internal body structure will change. The struggle will most likely leave us unconscious for a few days, but that's better than not waking up at all.**" Rose nodded and the TARDIS held out a hand in front of her. A golden pulse left her upturned palm and, before she knew it, there were golden, wispy tendrils snaking their way around Rose's body. She could almost feel the poison being purged from her body. Rose was lifted from her place on the ground until she was upright and facing the glowing being in front of her. The TARDIS brought both of her hands to Rose's temples and closed her eyes. Her forehead was lowered until it was touching Rose's. As soon as it did, a shooting pain was sent throughout all of Rose's body and she cried out. The TARDIS started glowing brighter and brighter until Rose had to shut her eyes as well.

And then, her world went blank, and the human Rose Tyler, was no more.

xXThe_Child_of_TimeXx

Pain. That was what she felt. Pain through her entire body and choppy memories. Fleeting, but still there. She knew she had been through more than this but it was the residual ache from her entire body changing that had her worshipping the rest she was being allowed. Mentally, she did a check to see that everything her physical body should have was still there.

Toes, feet, ankles, calves, thighs... all the way, from bottom to top she made sure that all of her limbs were where she had left them, she thought, about four days before. She wasn't even sure how she knew that, but it felt like four days... somehow. She tried to open her eyes but quickly closed them due to the blinding sunlight that danced into her vision. She clamped her hands down on what seemed like dewy grass and damp soil. Yes, she thought, definitely outside.

It was then that she realised she wasn't breathing as much as she normally would. She inhaled a large amount of oxygen into her lungs and coughed. Too much air, she thought, how is that even possible?

"_You will be weak for the first half hour or so Rose Tyler._" Said a voice inside of her head. And then everything came rushing back to her. The basement of the store she worked in, the strange man that grabbed her hand and told her to run, her adventures with said man afterwards and then the daleks and then the cybermen and then both of them together and finally coming to an alternate universe where she had her father who had previously died when she was young, but was without the one thing that honestly and truly mattered to her.

The Doctor.

"_Are you inside of my head now Bad Wolf?_" She asked mentally. Her heart was racing but something was off. She decided to leave the matter be for this instant but would come back to it later. That and the lack of breathing she seemed to be doing.

"_Yes. When we merged into one, I became a part of your consciousness but we won't forever be able to talk like this. When you get back to the doctor you will be able to talk to my actual being instead of just a voice or an entity. I never really said earlier, but I'm not exactly a part of the TARDIS, I'm basically the time vortex in which the TARDIS is a part of me._" Rose blanched when the voice said it wasn't the TARDIS and thought that that was the second time she'd been lied to, but became calm when it elaborated. Then she thought about what Bad Wolf said and immediately became ecstatic.

"_Wait,_" she said, "_are you saying that I __**can**__ get back to the doctor? For sure?"_ She didn't want to get her hopes up too much, but there was still a part of her that was over the moon in hopes that she'd finally have a way to see her doctor again.

"_You can, Rose, but I can only do it one time that I know of. After we do it... there'll be no coming back. I know that you'll want to do it anyways, but let's wait until you've explained to your family where you're going, at the least they deserve that, don't you think?_"

"_Of course, you're right. Let's get back... how do we even get back? I don't even know where we are-_"

"_Yes you do Rose,_" Bad Wolf interrupted, "_Think about it, it'll come to you._" So Rose closed her eyes and concentrated. She could both hear trains and smell sulphur all at once, coming from the same direction. At the same time she could smell each and every single flower around her, sense every living thing. It was as if her senses had been heightened. A butterfly passed her by and the wing beats were so loud to her that it made her take a step back. And then she knew where she was; like an epiphany of sorts. The Usgaran had brought her to a deserted part of the regent's park in London. She could feel people about 500 feet away from her. The trains she could somehow hear were those of kings cross on gray's inn road about one and a half miles from where she stood. She knew that it would take her exactly thirty two minutes to walk from where she was to the station and she could get a bus ride back to Cardiff that would take 4hrs and 38 minutes. The amount of information she had in her head was staggering, she had to sit down. "_Overwhelming, isn't it._" Bad wolf said. "_This information comes from the part of you that is time vortex, if you concentrate you can see what is, what was, what could be and what must not... if you tried, you could probably even recall the events of satellite five._" And she could.

She remembered everything, in next to perfect detail. From the way the heart of the TARDIS had sung in her mind, to the smell of the doctor as he kissed her, saving her life. He smelled distinctly of time and age, as well as a forest-type smell. Where that came from, she wasn't sure, but put together, it defined the doctor.

And then she remembered Jack. The Jack that she'd brought back to life. Poor captain Jack who now couldn't die. She'd pulled every single one of his lives from the never ending cascade of realities and universes and put them into one body. He was limitless; he could die over and over again and just keep on coming back to life. She'd sentenced him to something worse than death; she'd sentenced him to a life where everything he knew and loved would die around him.

"_Don't fret child. He will come to terms with his life, just as you will come to terms with yours. Remember, you aren't human anymore either._"

"This is so weird." She said aloud to no one in particular. How was she to get home, did she have her wallet on her still? She patted down her pockets and, upon finding some spare change, which would probably amount to what she needed, in the right breast pocket of the jacket she had on, she made an astounding revelation.

She had a second heartbeat.

Her eyes went wide and she grasped at her coat where the change was, and then, to make sure her heart hadn't just switched sides, she did the same with her left side.

Two hearts.

That could only mean... but that wasn't even possible... was it? She asked the part of her that she was now referring to as 'wolf'. Together they were the Bad Wolf, but separately they would be only Rose and wolf, not that they would ever be physically separated anymore.

"_You're not crazy Rose._" Wolf stated. "_You do have two hearts. This is what I didn't want to tell you before we were combined. In truth, you are part time lord and part time vortex. This is also the cause of you not breathing as much earlier. You get all of the benefits of being a time lord. The respiratory bypass system, you can see time when you concentrate, you won't age either. You also get... the regenerations._" That was a shock. She could regenerate?

"_Is this what you meant earlier, wolf, about me being able to spend my forever with the doctor? If I won't age and neither will he, then can I..?_"

"_Yes Rose, this is what I meant earlier. You and the doctor can literally have your forever now. But when you get back... I suggest not telling him until he finishes the sentence that he started on bad wolf bay-_"

"_What? WHY?_" Why shouldn't she be able to tell the doctor about her?

"_Because, Rose. Do you want him to say it to you because he does love you? Or do you want him to say it because of what you can give him. You're the only one of his companions, save one, that could give him forever._" Rose thought about it and was silent. "_That's what I thought. So when we get back, the TARDIS will be able to hide your being a time lord from the doctor until he finally says what he's wanted to say for so long... you know he used to practice what he wanted to say to you in front of the TARDIS console? She would laugh at him when he messed up._" Wolf went quiet.

"We both miss him" Rose said out loud. It went without saying but how could one not love the doctor? It was near impossible. The silence between them was deafening so Rose spoke up again.

"Well, let's go find ourselves a bus. The sooner we leave this place, the sooner we can get back to our doctor, yeah?" So Rose set off for the trip back to Cardiff, leaving the old Rose Tyler behind her with every step she took.

xXThe_Child_of_TimeXx

Rose arrived at torchwood at around 1:30 on the Friday after the mission to the rift; after her day back. She walked up to the security desk and flashed her card. The guard's eyes went wide and he frantically searched for the button to open the door for her. Once she was buzzed in, she went over to an elevator, pushed the button and waited. The doors opened almost right away and she stepped in. It was empty and the elevator music around her was so very annoying. She absently waved her hand and the music shut off.

She didn't even notice. The elevator dinged and she stepped out... only to find her entire team running around frantically trying to gather information. What could they be looking for, she asked herself.

"_They're looking for information on you Rose!_" Wolf chimed in, laughingly. Of course, she thought, I have been gone for four days after getting on what I was told was an invisible ship. A man, no older than 28 looked up from the pages on his desk and right into her eyes. His eyes went wide and he stood straight, his mouth gaping like that of a fish. Her face flushed and she raised a hand to wave hello. The man came to his senses.

"Rose!" Suddenly, all sixteen eyes were on her. Her entire team was made up of nine people including her.

The man who saw her when she came in was 28 year-old Jamie McCullough. He was an athletic man that they'd acquired from UNIT. He didn't care much for the guns and the shooting which was what made him such a valuable member of torchwood. He had medium length black hair and almost vibrant blue eyes. He had a strong, defined jaw and a semi-muscular build. He was very protective of Rose, even more so than Mickey.

Next was the 25 year-old Alek Marks who was almost like a brother to Jamie. They'd both actually been in UNIT and Jamie had stood up for him when he was being bullied by their commanding officer. From then on they'd stood by each other. He also had medium length hair but his was brown and his eyes were gray. He had stubble on his jaw line that ran to his chin and around his mouth. He as well had a semi-muscular build.

Then there was Jane Briares. She was a doctor who they'd only recently have come onto their team. While she was working, her hospital had been taken to the moon. When they got back, people tried to cover it up but she'd lived it and she wasn't going to forget it anytime soon. She was 24. Her red hair ran to her shoulders and she had blue eyes. Her face was quite feminine compared to the next person on the team; Riley Alexandria. She wasn't a woman for dressing up for going out, even to work. She as well was 24 and had known Jane since they were 14. They'd gone to school together and then applied and got accepted to the same universities where they again took the same classes and graduated together. They couldn't be separated. She had brown hair, running a little lower than Jane's and brown eyes.

Finally there was Robbie Montague. 30 years old and not looking a day over 22. He had cropped blond hair and emerald green eyes. He was very well built, but not overly so, and had been at torchwood for eight years. He was a hard one to win over when they had changed everything the old torchwood was about but he eventually came around.

Other than them there were Pete, Mickey, Jake and her.

"Hi guys." She said like there was nothing wrong. She started walking towards where she could see Mickey in the back room; his office. When she passed Jamie he grabbed her hand and proceeded to crush her to himself. She let out a surprised squeal.

"Where have you been missy?" He said into her hair. She could feel tears on her neck and suddenly she felt bad. She wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder. She just let him cry for a few minutes before unravelling her arms and pushing him back slightly. She looked him in the eyes before answering.

"I'm sorry. When we went to the rift, there was this huge spaceship. No one else could see it and I thought it weird so I went and checked it out. When I went inside the door locked. The ET's inside weren't hostile, so I'm okay, but I guess time passed by quicker in the ship than it did outside because when I came out, there was no one around and I made my way back here and now here we are." Yeah, she thought, that sounds plausible. She could almost feel wolf in her head trying to hold back a snicker.

Everyone around her stared at her for a minute and then before she knew it she was being engulfed in hugs. People were talking at a thousand miles an hour and asking her questions; most of which she really had no intention to answer. All of the commotion drew Mickey, Jake, and Pete from their respective offices.

"Oi! What's goin' on out here?" She heard Mickey call from the hallway. Everyone let go of her at once and Rose looked to the floor abashedly. Once again she was tackled in a hug. Mickey pulled back so he could see her and started checking her over, making sure she wasn't hurt. "Rose! Where the hell've you been? We thought you were dead."

"Nah, you couldn't get rid of me that easily if you tried." She tried joking, but when Mickey only cocked an eyebrow she let it fall. She looked meaningfully at her three boys and mouthed 'later' to them. They, all three, nodded slightly. Pete sent everybody back to work but Jamie wouldn't leave her side now that she was back.

"_Well, this man certainly is clingy Rose. How're you going to tell your friends what happened if he won't leave?"_ Wolf asked in her head.

"_I'm not too sure wolf. I was actually thinking I'll just tell them later at home. That way I can tell mum at the same time._" After she said that she noticed Mickey looking at her with a weird look on his face; staring right at her eyes. She looked at him in question.

"What's wrong Mickey? Is there something in my eye?" Rose brought a hand up and started rubbing at it, but Mickey just shook his head, so she stopped.

"No, it's nothing. For a second it looked like... never mind, it doesn't matter. What matters is you're back and in one piece. We've got about an hour left of work and you said later right? So let's just finish up here and get going." He rubbed the upper part of her arms fondly and then let go to get back to his office.

Rose, having nothing to do, walked into her office and locked the door behind her. She turned around and slumped against the door. Her office was large by office standards. It was about 27x30, rectangular in shape. There were three windows in succession in the middle of the wall, looking out over the city, shaped like an extended semi-circle. It was painted in the bluest of blues; TARDIS blue. Just a reminder of the doctor every day. To the right of the window was a cedar desk and a leather swivel chair. In front of the desk, in the wall, was a door adjoining her office with the sitting room that they all used for lunch or meetings.

All along the left wall and continuing along the back was a large bookcase, almost full. In the middle of the bookcase was an indentation where the contractors had put a fireplace. There was a table and a sofa almost right in front of her for if she ever stayed late one night and didn't feel like going home. Also for reading when she had the chance.

So walked over to the sofa and flopped down on it, feet dangling over the edge, one hand on her stomach the other thrown over her face. She decided to have a conversation with wolf.

"_How exactly are we going to get home wolf? The doctor said that if we tried, both universes would collapse._" She was honestly confused about this.

"_Rose... I think there was a __**chance**__ they would've collapsed. But the doctor was falling in love with you; he fell in love with you. It would hurt him so much if you'd stayed with him and then died on one of your little escapades. He would've thought it his fault and I think by leaving you here he was trying to save both of you the hurt of going through that; he left you here so you would be safe and so that you could have a life._" There was a feeling of sadness coursing through her head that wasn't hers. Mind you, she was sad that he didn't believe in her. She'd promised him forever, why couldn't he have just believed her? She could feel tears running down her face. Everything in her body was so new to her, all of her senses were tripled (if not more), and she thought she was done crying. She wiped her tears away and set her mind. She would get back and then she would have a serious talk with that man about promises.

"_Right,_" she said, "_so how're we getting back, then?_"

"_Well, you know how the old torchwood was ripping a hole through the universes?_" Rose nodded. "_Well, you and I are going to just unlock one. It's honestly not that hard, the only reason you can't do it or why you don't have the knowledge yet is because this is the transitional period. After about two or three weeks of having me in your head, we'll fully merge and you'll have all of my knowledge and that'll be the part of you that is time vortex. Also, when you get back make sure to open the door to the TARDIS and look into the vortex. It's a big thing for time lords, but for you, it'll give you a power boost. Although, theirs was somewhat controlled... no matter, it's all the same for you. _" Rose was nodding along the whole time. She thought something like this might happen because the doctor was just brimming with insightfulness but he never seemed to pick up a book. He just knew everything. Like it came to his head when he needed it.

"_Alright, so this shouldn't take too long then? Because I want to get back as soon as possible._" She felt wolf send something akin to a nod through her mind and then an alert. She opened her eyes and saw Mickey looking in her office, worried. I thought I locked that, Rose thought.

"Rose, I've been calling you for ten minutes. It's been an hour, time to go home. I want to hear what happened and so do the others." Mickey was rushing her out the door and over to the elevator where Pete and Jake were waiting. They all boarded the elevator and rode it down to the first floor. While they were leaving the security guard tipped his hat to Rose and said welcome back. She nodded at him while thinking that she felt really bad now because she wasn't going to be back... not again. This time, she had no intention of returning.

They walked out to Pete's car and, before getting in the passenger's seat, Rose turned once more to look fondly at torchwood tower before stepping into the car, and driving away.

Mickey and Jake were telling her how good it was to have her back and she wasn't really paying attention. She nodded at the right places though and answered if they asked her a question. But all the while she was thinking about what she'd do when she saw her doctor again.

They arrived at the Tyler estate and they all got out of the car. Pete walked to the door followed by Rose who was followed by Mickey and Jake.

"Jackie!" Pete cried. "We're home! And we've got a surprise for ya!"

"What are you yelling about?" Jackie said as she came through the hallway. As soon as she turned to the front hall, she froze mid stride. Her eyes took in her daughter, standing there. "Rose Marion Tyler!" She yelled, walking over to her and pulling her into a hug. "Where have you been? I was so worried about you; I thought maybe... you know, _he_ found a way back and took you from me again. Without as much as a goodbye." Rose hugged her mother back just as enthusiastically and then pulled back a bit so she could talk.

"That's why I'm here." Rose mumbled. Jackie looked at her daughter strangely. "Mum, guys, I have something important to tell you." Her mum just tilted her head but nodded.

"I'll make us some tea, then." Rose just grinned. Jackie Tyler and her tea, she thought. She felt wolf just nod in her head. Rose made her way to the sitting room where she took the single person chair. Across from her, Jake and Mickey took one of the sofas while Pete waited on another for his wife to return with their tea. About ten minutes later, Jackie entered the room with a tray of mugs and a pot of freshly brewed tea along with milk and sugar. Once everyone had a cup, Jackie sat down and looked expectantly at her daughter.

"Right." Rose said. She wasn't exactly sure how to start but ploughed ahead anyways. "Well, what happened when Jake, Mickey, Pete and I went to Cardiff to check out the rift activity, there was a ship-"

"No there wasn't, what are you talking about Rose? We were all there and there was nothing on the rift." Mickey said, almost smugly. Rose just looked at him the way she looked at him when he was 'Mickey the idiot' as the doctor had so fondly called him.

"There was, Mick, you just couldn't see it. Hell, I still don't know how I was able to see it." _That was me._ Wolf cut in. Rose sent a silent thanks and continued. "Anyway, I went inside before I realized you three weren't following me and I heard this weird chanting coming from one of the rooms. Naturally, I followed my instincts and went to check it out. There were aliens, obviously, inside that could read auras, among other things. It turns out... it turns out that I'm a disturbance in this reality," starting the lie she'd made up. She really didn't want her mum knowing she wasn't human anymore. "They told me that they'd have to kill me," they all gasped. "or they'd give me the knowledge that I need to get back." They were all looking at her as if waiting for more of the story. Clearly, according to her fabricated tale, she hadn't chosen the 'die' option.

"So that's it then." Her mum said. "You're just going to go? Back to that world; back to him." Rose was nodding; tears in her eyes. She honestly didn't have a choice either way. "Well, be safe. And when you see him, make sure to give him a slap from me for leaving you here in the first place." Her mum got up and crossed over to Rose, who also stood up. Jackie hugged her daughter who returned it in kind, albeit confusedly. When she pulled back Rose had something to say.

"Mum, why are you so accepting of this? **How** are you so accepting of this?" Jackie just gave her daughter a look that said 'are you serious?'

"Rose, when you were with the doctor, on the days you'd come back to see me, you were always so happy. He made you happy. Ever since you've been separated, it's almost like... like a piece of you was ripped away." _You don't know the half of it,_ she thought she heard wolf say, but just attributed it to her imagination when she didn't say anything else. "You need that, sweetheart. You deserve to be happy, and I'm starting to see that only he can really give it to you. So go, and never forget us. Your little brother will be sure to hear all about you." Rose was crying silently while her mother spoke, who was also crying. She turned her attention to Mickey who just seemed to be staring into space. She gave a final look to her mum before walking over to him.

"Mickey." She said softly as she knelt in front of him. He looked at her and she let out another wave of tears. His eyes looked so broken; broken but accepting. She knew she would get no argument from him either.

"I don't know why I didn't see this coming." He began. "It was always going to happen, just like you always said; 'The doctor and Rose, together as it should be.' And I jazzed myself up for this, when you would leave. But I don't think anything could prepare me for when you would actually go." He took a moment to hug her tight to himself. She could feel his mouth at her ear. "I love you Rose, and I hope he makes you as happy as you deserve or else _I'll_ be the one to make both universes collapse just to kick his scrawny butt." Rose just let out a watery chuckle and nodded into his shoulder. She pressed a final kiss to his cheek before letting go and turning to Jake. He simply nodded at her, gave her a hug and said goodbye. Finally she turned to Pete.

"I only met him the two times. And in those two times, I could see that he made you happy, even just being around him brightened up your mood. I know, that, had I been the one to raise you, I would be more emotional than I am now, and the father side of me is trying to kick in, but I know you need to go; you need to be happy and I know this is why you didn't want to get close to me in this reality." She just nodded and then did something that surprised them both; she hugged him and kissed his cheek as well.

"You'll be a great dad to my little brother, Pete. I just know it." She released him and turned, again, to her mother. They both hugged each other fiercely again and cried.

"I love you, Rose. Always remember us."

"How could I ever forget any of you? You raised me," she said to her mum and laughed and turned to Mickey. "You're Mickey the idiot. Mickety-Mick-Mickey, my best friend. And you're Jake; you took on a fleet of cybermen just because it was the right thing to do, with no weapons. And you," she said turning, once again, to Pete. "You make my mother happy, you hear me?" He nodded, grinning slightly.

"_We should leave soon Rose, before it gets too late. There's something else I want you to do._" Rose nodded to wolf and turned back to her mother.

"I have to go... now." Rose stated. Jackie nodded and hugged Rose one last time.

"_Let's go now, yeah?_ Rose asked wolf. She felt a nod in her head and pulled away from her mother. Without looking back, Rose said a last 'I love you', turned and walked out of the Tyler estate for the last time.

By the time everyone had said their goodbyes and Rose walked out, it was around six in the evening. Rose decided to ask wolf what it was that she still needed to do before they left.

"_Rose, every time that someone makes a decision, it creates an alternate reality; one where that person made one decision and one where they didn't. It might even create more than that if there were more than two options or more than one decision. The doctor doesn't know this which is why he sees fixed points in time. The time lords could only see one reality, the one that they were in. Because you and I are both part time vortex we see everything and, by changing something, we create alternate realities and don't destroy the one we're in. This is one such reality where you allowed me to live inside of you, but if you concentrate, you can see that in one reality the Usgaran never came because the doctor succeeded in purging all of your heritage from you; all of the time vortex that was meant to live within you. In that reality, you succeeded in getting back to the doctor but only after a long time had passed and the daleks had already started tearing down the walls between all universes and realities. In case that still ends up happening, we're going to go to torchwood to make sure that your team had the means of building what you would call a dimension cannon so that they can come and aid us if the situation calls for it."_

"_Well, that's great news... I think."_ Rose thought. "_So how are we going to get to torchwood then?"_

"_We are going to do the same thing that a dimension cannon does. First, you need to think clearly of torchwood._" Wolf waited until Rose had a clear picture of her torchwood office in her mind's eye and then set to work. Wolf mentally set some co-ordinates and then locked on to the image within Rose's mind. Unaware to the inhabitants inside the Tyler estate and Rose herself, she started glowing gold and wispy tendrils of time were almost pouring out of her, and then, she vanished from the very spot she was standing.

xXThe_Child_of_TimeXx

Torchwood was alive with activity as per usual. The tower could never really be left unmanned or unguarded in case a situation arose, such as an invasion, and Torchwood needed to be there as soon as possible. However, sometimes there were rooms that were empty and devoid of life where normally there would be two to three people inside or just outside. It was in one of these rooms that a woman, bathed in golden light, appeared. If anyone were to walk past the unguarded room at that moment, they would have heard the woman's voice as she appeared to be talking to herself and she would have been found out. Thankfully, no one did happen to walk by.

"Alright wolf," Rose said aloud, seemingly to herself. "Tell me where I need to go and what I need to do to build this thing." The reason that Rose was talking out loud to herself, and not telepathically like she should've, was because the outward silence unnerved her. It was too... silent for her liking.

"Very well Rose." said wolf. "But remember, we're only going to make _one_ of them just so they can see how they're supposed to look. We'll leave the parts out for them and instructions on when and how to use them."

"All right." Rose was just excited; she would finally be getting back to her doctor. So for the next two and a half hours, Rose and wolf worked restlessly, with the materials in the room they were in, on what would become the dimension cannon. After said period of time, they spent another 30 minutes on writing out instructions on how to build the rest of the cannons and then on another sheet of paper, Rose wrote a note directly to Mickey, Pete and Jake on when and why they were to use the piece of alien technology and under which circumstances; if the stars in the sky ever started to disappear, they were to start putting them together immediately. Rose and wolf gathered the remaining supplies and put them into a desolate corner of the room so no one would mess with them until the time was right and then the pair made their way to Mickey's office, trying very hard not to get caught by any Torchwood officers roaming the halls. Jamie was still working and if he caught Rose here after her hours then she would definitely be here longer than she planned.

"Damn it!" Rose exclaimed once she got to Mickey's office and then immediately clamped a hand over her mouth. "Damn," she repeated a little quieter after making sure the coast was clear and no one had come running. "His doors locked." _She could hear wolf laughing in her head. "And just what are you laughing at?_"She asked.

"_You, Rosana."_ Wolf replied. "_Look, put your hand over the doorknob and watch."_ Rose did as she was asked and watched as her hand started to shine gold. Soon after, she heard a soft click; the telltale sign that the door was now open. "_And that's how it's done."_ Rose just stared at her hand, amazed at the feat wolf had just pulled.

"_H-how did you do that?"_ The uninformed one asked.

"_It was simple psychokinetic manipulation of ambient energy. Basically I took the energy floating around; raw energy of the earth, and expelled it through your hand with a command to unlock the door. Just think of it as a 'Superior Sonic Screwdriver' because it also works on wood."_ Rose had to stifle a laugh at that

"_Can you do anything what that?"_ She asked.

"_A lot of things, yes... but not everything no."_ Rose nodded and opened the door to Mickey's office. She walked over to his desk and put the note where he would be sure to see it. Once finished, she left the room and had wolf work her magic on the door again.

"So what now?" Rose asked, speaking out loud again.

"_Now we head to the place where the walls between realities are sure to be at their weakest. Want to take a guess as to where that is?"_ Rose thought for a second.

"Oh," she said. "The void room! The wall there is still weak because of the break, right?" Wolf hummed in agreement and Rose once again made her way through the hallways, ducking behind corners and staying in the shadows to keep hidden. Before she knew it, she was standing in front of the blank, off-white wall in the void room. It hadn't been entered since Canary Wharf so it hadn't been cleaned and she could see the place where she lost herself. Mascara was also in a spot in the middle of the wall. Rose felt a painful tug at her hearts but consoled it with the thought that she would soon be reunited with the doctor.

"So, how do we do this?" She asked.

"_Well, Rose, I have the strength to make two trips; one across the void – I can probably get us into the TARDIS – and I could make another. We could go somewhere before we see the doctor. We won't change anything anywhere we go because Bad Wolf exists in all realities, so whatever we do, whatever choices we make simply creates parallels."_ Rose thought about that. They could virtually go anywhere! They could go back and create a world with no Torchwood, meaning that at least one pair of her and the doctor would never be separated. They could even go and visit Gallifrey. But, Rose thought, I really shouldn't. So she made a smart decision.

"Okay, wolf. for the first trip across how about we go somewhere that I can bond with the TARDIS and look into the vortex without _my_ doctor becoming suspicious. And then after that's done we can finally get back to our doctor." She could feel the surprise that wolf was broadcasting at her choice; after all, she really could have gone anywhere. So wolf looked into the untainted time stream for Rose's world and searched for the best time for them to do the tasks they needed to do. Oh, thought wolf, that's a good one... and it should be entertaining to watch. This should be good. Rose was to absorbed in trying to console her own pains at having to wait a while longer before seeing her doctor to notice wolf being devious.

"_Okay Rose, I'm going to need you to close your eyes. Envision your world and then this one with a bridge joining them."_

"But there's no difference between the worlds. How can I do that?" Rose replied without actually thinking about it first.

"_Does this realm not have zeppelins in the sky? Or Pete Tyler? Imagine Pete in a zeppelin hanging over Big Ben and then for your world, envision the doctor in his TARDIS in front of a separate Big Ben."_ Rose couldn't believe that she hadn't thought of that.

"Sounds good wolf." she replied and for the second time that day, Rose pictured, with more detail than she could ever remember having done, two versions of Big Ben side-by-side, one with Pete Tyler and a zeppelin, the other with the doctor and his TARDIS. Then, with little difficulty, she spread them apart, placing a bridge between them.

"_Okay Rose – don't open your eyes, keep picturing – put your hand on the wall." _She did so and almost pulled it away for she felt a weird sensation. Wolf spoke before she could open her eyes or pull away. "_Don't worry about the feeling, that's your bridge. Just keep your hand firmly against the wall. What you will feel pulling you is the vortex energy; it's constructing the bridge you made in your mind. Soon you'll feel as though you're moving through water and that's just us shifting worlds _and then the fun begins." Wolf thought the last part to herself because she wanted Rose to be surprised when they got to their destination. The people that are there will be surprised as well, she thought, one of them pleasantly.

Wolf reached out and set her second set of co-ordinates that day. Trying her best to not alert Rose to their destination, she set off to get Rose back to where she belonged. And for the second time that day, Rose Tyler disappeared in a flurry of golden light leaving no inclination towards her ever having been there.

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><p>There, that was the first chapter of, what I hope to be, many. How was it? A review would be nice and constructive criticism is always appreciated; you wouldn't really be helping if you just said 'the story sucks'.<p>

Thanks for reading!

-Love, Seeker


	2. A Reunion of Sorts

**Disclaimer:** Don't you think if I owned doctor who that these chapter would be episodes and not posted online

Thank you to all those who reviewed, every single one is appreciated and it meant a lot to me. So for you guys, as promised, here is the second chapter of 'The Child of Time'

Italics are Rose and Wolf speaking to each other or the TARDIS and things in bold italics are the TARDIS speaking. Most thoughts are just in normal font.

Anyway, to the story.

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><p>xXThe_Child_of_TimeXx<p>

"So Amy, River, Rory... where to next?" asked the Doctor as he bounced over to the TARDIS console. He, along with the aforementioned companions, had just alerted planet earth of the existence of an alien race controlling all of their major accomplishments and ideas called the silence. The group had just entered the TARDIS and already the Doctor was thinking about their next adventure. Before getting even an answer from any one of them, he set her adrift in the time vortex to just 'float' while they made up their minds. After doing so, he made his way over to his companions who were still standing on the metal grating that lead to the console, near the door.

"I want to go somewhere peaceful, Doctor." Said the fiery Scot, Amelia Pond. "Like a beach... oh! Can we go to a beach? Please?" The Doctor turned and looked to Rory and River for their assent. Before he could do anything further, however, Amy yelled his name.

"What is it Amy?" He asked in a tired voice. He turned to face the red head only to see her pointing back towards the console, her eyes wide in what looked to be fright and shock. Slowly he turned around towards the console and what he saw sent waves of shock and a medley of other emotions through him.

A pang of guilt, a dash of hope, and waves of love were pouring through a barrier he thought was buried. The sudden onslaught of emotions rendered him frozen while he watched a cluster of golden light cascade out of the TARDIS and started to form the figure of a person.

When the golden light dispersed he could feel Amy's hand on his shoulder and River's on his arm. There was no way this was happening.

xXThe_Child_of_TimeXx

Wolf was right... somewhat. It was more like Rose was moving through water but at 500 feet below sea level. The pressure was so thick; squeezing her, threatening to take what was left of her consciousness.

After what felt like years, wading through nothingness, the pressure on her body started to lift and she gave a relieved sigh. Her eyes will still closed on the instructions of wolf, who told her that she needed to keep envisioning the bridge or it would collapse. Of course, wolf slightly exaggerated that bit, it really wouldn't collapse but she wanted Rose to be surprised when they arrived.

A few minutes later, the pressure was gone entirely and the golden light faded away.

"_Okay Rose, open your eyes"_ Rose did as she was asked and almost immediately froze in place. A moment later she could feel wolf in her head trying – and failing – to suppress a laugh. Again she spoke aloud instead of through the link.

"Haha, very funny! This is the _TARDIS_! How am I supposed to do what you asked me to without my... Doctor... knowing... What?" Rose trailed off because wolf was giving her an alert through her mind. It made Rose tense back up.

"_Rose... I would look behind you if I were you. And by the way we're in the vortex so they might be a little... surprised."_ Rose nodded to wolf and waited a moment. She turned to see four people staring at her, each with a different expression on their face. They stood there, frozen like she was a moment ago; two women and two men. One of the women, the one who had her hand on one of the men's shoulder had a look of shock and fright. Her face was slightly round and her hair was a shocking red colour. The Doctor would be jealous, Rose though idly. She felt wolf nod her head in agreement and smirked.

The other woman had an angular face framed by brown ringlets. She as well had her hand on one of the men's arms. Her expression was guarded but slightly curious, as well as showing a small bit of shock. Beside the red-head was a man with brown hair as well and a larger-than-regular nose. He was just plain surprised and it was shown quite clearly in his features. The man who stood between the women had floppy brown hair and was wearing a tweed suit and a bow tie. His expression was different than the rest; shocked, hopeful, guilty and... loving? And then it dawned on her.

"_That's him isn't it? He's regenerated again."_ Rose silently asked wolf.

"_Yes dear, that would be the Doctor. His companions would take a while longer to explain so why don't you bond with the TARDIS and she'll explain everything to you... very quickly."_ Rose nodded and looked back to the people in front of her. She smiled tentatively before speaking.

"Hold on a tick." She said, raising her hand. She crossed the few steps that were separating her and the TARDIS' console and placed her hand on a panel that looked almost like it was glowing. She felt, more than heard the Doctor's frantic heartbeat because it was reciprocated in her chest. Grinning to herself, she placed her hand on the panel and a golden light spread from her hand and into the console.

"What is she doing?" She heard the ginger whisper to anyone that was listening. Her voice sounded a little more pitched than it would normally be. No one answered her as they were all too busy watching Rose, she could feel their stares on her back. A moment later, something coursed through her mind, giving it a little jolt and then she heard a different, slightly musical, voice in her mind.

"_**Welcome back, dear Rosana. Our Doctor is quite surprised.**_" Rose's eyes bugged out.

"You're in my head too?" She accidentally said out loud. She heard a couple gasps from behind her. "_How come he's never mentioned that you could communicate before?"_ she continued silently. She heard a melodic chuckle in her mind that comforted her.

"_**Yes, I am Rose. And he's probably never mentioned that I could speak before because I can't. Not to him anyway. Because you have accepted your Time Lady and time vortex heritage, I can speak with you across the time vortex link because that is what my heart is. Now before you go to your Doctor, pay attention to my screen. I will tell you all I can. You will get information on Gallifrey; the language, the history... everything. And then some information on what happened while you were in Pete's world and what's been going on since then. It shouldn't take long. Maybe a couple minutes.**_" When the TARDIS finished speaking, the monitor swung around from the other side of the console causing the occupants to gasp again. The red head was now holding tight to the other brown-haired man and the other woman's grip on the Doctor looked like it would have cut off his circulation. She turned to the monitor and told the TARDIS she was ready.

Immediately, images started flicking across the screen at a high-paced speed. Rose's brain, which was now working to its entire capacity, instead of the small percent that humans normally used, soaked up the information like a sponge. When the images stopped running, her head span with information, almost like when she had just woken up from bonding with wolf. Her eyes softened as she learnt of the man who waited 2000 years for his fiancée, who, in turn, waited 12 years for the Doctor to come and whisk her away. Also of the woman who kept meeting the Doctor at the wrong time, though her eyes sharpened slightly when she came upon the information that this woman was technically married to the Doctor. There was also information on the Doctor's childhood friend Koschei, or as he was known now, the Master. Her eyes watered at what the two went through last time they had met, the Doctor having to banish his people for the second time and what had caused the regeneration. She laughed a watery laugh at the thought of fish custard and young Amelia Pond trying to satisfy the Doctor's new taste buds.

After she had finished sifting through the information she was crying silently. He's gone through so much while I was away, she thought to both the TARDIS and wolf. How could any version of me ever choose a human Doctor over the real one, what was going through her head?

"_I don't know Rose; I guess we won't ever know, but how about you hurry it up. You need to talk to this Doctor before we head back to ours. Ask him what in the heck he's doing wearing a bow tie!"_ Rose gave a shuddering laugh, her hands gripping the edge of the console. She looked up to see the Doctor's companions looking at him in question. Probably wondering why he hasn't done anything yet, Rose thought. But the Doctor was just looking at her in concern now that he saw she was crying. She saw him extract River`s hand from his arm and made his way over to her. Some things never change, she thought to herself, still always comforting me first. He approached her, leaving caution to the wind and engulfed her in a crushing hug as if he were trying to assure himself that she was actually here. She wound her arms around his back and cried into his shoulder. She felt his hands unconsciously playing with her hair like he used to do.

After relishing in the contact she`d so missed, she pushed him away slightly and looked up into his eyes. He lifted his hands to cradle her face brushed the pad of his thumbs under her eyes to wipe away the excess tears. "Rose." He said quietly, afraid that if he spoke to loud it would break whatever was happening. "Why are you crying?" he asked, even though his eyes were glistening with unshed tears as well.

"You`ve been through so much." She said quietly. He just looked at her in question. Extracting an arm from around his back, she lifted it to his cheek. "I've got so much to tell you-"

"Excuse us." Interrupted the woman she knew to be River Song. "I hate to interrupt you but what is going on? In case neither of you had noticed, we're in the time vortex. You can't just show up out of the blue like that... it's physically impossible." Rose and the Doctor looked at each other and laughed. "What are you laughing at? This is serious, what have you done to the Doctor?" When she said that, they both stopped laughing.

"River." the Doctor said slowly. "She's done absolutely nothing to me, well... nothing wrong I can assure you of that." Amy and Rory were confused with that statement. River just looked seething. Before she could say anything else though, Rose spoke up.

"Actually, speaking of which, there's one thing I need to do before we have a nice talk, you and I, so excuse me for a second." She extracted herself from the Doctor's embrace and smoothed hi s lapels, stopping for a moment to look at the bow tie adorning his suit. "Nice bow tie by the way." She said, grinning teasingly with her tongue caught in between her teeth as she straightened it for him, tears forgotten.

"Thanks." He replied before she walked away from him, deliberately making her way towards the TARDIS doors. The others parted, making way for her as if they were afraid she was an alien of some sort. She stepped up to the door and carefully swung it out and stood there, gazing at the beautiful medley of colours that swirled within the vortex. Every colour, of every shade everywhere she looked; twisting, diving, turning, swirling, rising, and going every which way. She felt power, not overwhelming, but enough to make her feel stronger, like a surge of something gone through her. She took a deep breath, marvelling at it all.

"_That's enough now Rose, you're going to make the poor Doctor faint."_ Rose was confused but still closed the door and turned back around to find the Doctor had gone pale. It then dawned on her that regular humans weren't supposed to see the time vortex, let alone in this state. So she made her way back over to him. When she was an arm's length away she held out her hand, putting the ball in his court. Thankfully he took it and entwined his fingers in hers and looked down into her eyes.

"I do believe that you have some explaining to do miss Tyler." He said teasingly.

"Of course I do, Doctor. But first, can you explain one thing to me?" He nodded. "Why did you leave me? That's the one thing I honestly can't figure out; the reason that you had for leaving me in that godforsaken place and didn't try to get me back. Why..." She choked on the last part and lowered her head. The Doctor looked ashamed and confused at the same time, if that's possible. He squeezed her hand and with his other hand he raised her head up to look him in the eyes again.

"I was doing what was best for the both of us. I left you with a part of me, one that could spend his days with you, and I returned here-"

"To keep running." Rose cut him off. "I know that even though you won't admit it. You know that you're running from your past, running from what happened, running from me. And she shouldn't've-"

"She? Don't you mean you?" He asked, tilting his head to the side. Rose shook her head.

"I guess I should probably explain then?" She asked.

"That would probably help." Rose looked over to where the others were standing, all of them angry with being ignored in favour of this stranger. Except I'm not a stranger, Rose thought.

"_No, Rose. But they don't know that. You and the Doctor haven't exactly been forthcoming with that information. To them, you've just pranced in and 'bewitched' the Doctor."_

"_So I should probably tell the Doctor with them here instead of dragging him to my room to have a conversation then?"_

"_**That would be best, Rosana. Dear River looks like she'd about to pick a fight with you.**__"_ The TARDIS pitched in. She looked over to River and sure enough she looked about ready to blow. She turned back to the Doctor who gasped.

"What's wrong, Doctor?" He looked like he would faint again. _"TARDIS, maybe you could bring back the old console room for a bit while I'm here so if my brave Doctor passes out then he'll at least be sitting."_

"_**Of course Rose... you do know that when you speak with us, you get a golden hue in your eyes, indicating Bad Wolf, and that's what he's shocked about.**__"_

"_No I didn't know that, thank you."_ She answered, sending a mental glare at wolf for not telling her that before like when Mickey had seen it back at the estate. The console room began to flicker and shake. The Doctor's hand in Rose's tightened and the three people beside her were frantic.

"Doctor!" Yelled Amy. "What's going on? What's happening to the room?" Voicing the sentiments of all the occupants of the TARDIS, save one.

"I'm not sure Amy; I don't think it's happened before." He then noticed that Rose didn't look perturbed at all by the fading room. "Rose, do you know what's happening?" he asked her.

"Have you noticed that this room has no seat except the stairs? I didn't want you to faint or lose your balance when I told you my story so the TARDIS is changing back to how she was before." At this he scoffed.

"Time Lords don't faint." He bragged. Rose just raised an eyebrow. "Well, they never used to... don't look at me like that." Rose had caught her tongue and was giving the Doctor her patented smile again. When he finished talking the TARDIS finally stopped flickering. In place of the green cylinder, in the centre of the console, stood the old blue one, the walls glowed orange and pillars of coral Rose up from the ground. Next to the console was the jump seat Rose had been looking for. She led him over and he sat down looking around the room with familiarity. Then he noticed something on one of the pillars. Rose saw him looking at the coral and looked over there herself and laughed. Before she sat down herself, she walked over to it and picked up the familiar jacket that laid there.

"Why is my jacket still on the pillars?" she asked him laughingly.

"I guess because it was still in the wardrobe. The old girl never did get rid of anything of yours." He put his feet up on the console and looked at it lovingly. Rose stifled a laugh when she heard the TARDIS in her head.

"_**Rose, love, can you please tell the sappy old Time Lord to get his feet off of me?**__"_ Rose was seriously having a hard time suppressing that laugh, some giggles escaped which she tried to cover up with a cough but the Doctor heard her anyways and looked over to her.

"And what are you laughing at Miss Tyler?" he taunted.

"Well, your TARDIS would like for me to – and these are her words, not mine – tell the 'sappy old Time Lord to take his feet off of her console'." And he did just that; out of shock. Three strangled cries of 'what?' could be heard behind her. "What?" she asked, feigning innocence.

"Rose, I think you'd better start explaining." He said seriously. She nodded her head and took a seat beside him.

"For you, I only really need to say Bad Wolf to explain most of it. The place to really start this story would be satellite 5, the second time we visited." He looked at her in shock. "And your friends over there seem to think I'm a danger so why don't you get them over here so they learn that their fears are unfounded." He looked over to Rory, Amy and River who, sure enough, looked apprehensive and livid, probably from being ignored.

"Guys, come over here. This is Rose Tyler; I used to travel with her before we... got separated. There's no need for keeping your distance." He lazed an arm over the back of the jump seat which Rose automatically curled into. Rory, Amy and River all made their way over to where the two sat, soaking up each other's presence.

They leaned against the console and Amy folded her arms, Rory shoved his hand in his pockets and River just stood there. "Are you sure we can trust her doctor? Are you sure she's not an impostor?"

The Doctor looked at Amy as if she'd lost her mind. "Amy, if there's one thing I've ever believed in, just one thing; it's Rose." Amy was shocked. Rose smiled lightly at the Doctor, knowing that he still felt the same, even after all these years, with that one sentence. "Alright, Rose, why are you starting from satellite 5?" the Doctor asked Rose once everyone was settled.

"Because," she started. "I remember." She answered, looking away, not meeting his eyes. She felt him tense beside her. He took his arm from around her and put both of his hands in his lap, leaning forward. The three companions just looked on, confused.

"What – what, exactly, do you remember?" He asked quietly.

Amy looked between the two. "Why is it bad that she remem-" She started before getting cut off by Rose's answer.

"Everything; from beginning to end, I remember... because that's who I am; who I was meant to be." She stated. The Doctor's head shot up and he looked at her, wide-eyed.

"What do you mean that that's who you are? That's not possible."

"I was born into it, Doctor. I was meant it have it, to live with it, but when I took it in on satellite five... well, it was too early, my mind wasn't ready yet and it would've killed me. That why you had to do what you did."

"What are you two going on about? For those of us who don't know the story." Asked River.

Rose didn't know where to start so the Doctor explained it. "In the first year of us travelling together, an entire army of daleks showed up on this game station we'd visited earlier on, satellite five it was called. The first time we visited it was transmitting the news down to earth; we shut it down because it was being run by the Jagrafess. The second time it was a game station. The daleks practically ran the place. Anytime anyone ever lost in a game people would be shot by this beam and seem to disintegrate but, in reality, they were being transmatted to the dalek emperor's ship. Anyways, Jack – an ex-time agent – Rose and I were going to send out a wave of energy that would've destroyed the daleks but also the station, but there was a problem. The beam wouldn't have been done charging in time. So I sent Rose – against her will, mind – back to her own time with her mum and Mickey and I stayed behind to get rid of the daleks.

"Being Jackie Tyler's daughter, Rose is very stubborn. So, naturally, she found a way to open up the heart of the TARDIS and looked into it, absorbing the time vortex into her head. Nobody's supposed to do that, not even Time Lords, their mind would be destroyed because of the overload of information and they would die. Rose piloted the TARDIS back to satellite five and destroyed the daleks and I tried to get her to let go of the vortex but she couldn't, so I absorbed it into myself." At this, his cheeks started to get red as he remembered _how_ he got rid of the time vortex. "And Rose forgot everything that happened; from looking into the TARDIS, saving me for the umpteenth time, to waking up in the TARDIS."

The others were perplexed. "But now she's saying she remembers everything?" asked Rory. Rose nodded to his question.

"Which should technically be impossible without her head burning." Said the Doctor.

"Something happened in Pete's world that lets me remember without dying." The Doctor looked at her.

"What happened, Rose?" she just stared at her hands, psyching herself up to tell the Doctor this. If this doctor didn't take it well, how was her doctor supposed to? It would be a big shock either way.

She took a deep breath before beginning. "Sometime after Canary Wharf happened and I was settled in at the estate, I started to get this drumming noise in my head, like a headache that wouldn't stop. Sometimes, when my mind went blank or when I was sad it felt like the pounding would come closer to the front of my head. Other times when I was really busy or focused, it would still drone on, but like it was in the recesses of my mind.

"I took some time off of work because I couldn't work like that, it was distracting. Almost as soon as I went back to work, there was rift activity showing up on our monitors but no one had reported any unusual activity. Mickey, Pete, Jake and I, of course, went to check it out. When we got there, there was this giant spaceship in the centre of the rift, but they couldn't see it. I did though-"

"How did they not see it if it was that big?" interrupted Amy.

"They had something like a chameleon circuit. It blended in with its surroundings." Rose answered. Amy narrowed her eyes.

"So, then, how did you see it?" she retorted.

"I'm getting to that part. Anyway, inside of the ship there were only five aliens. They looked human at first but then I learnt that they could control their bone structure and could make their blood poison. They were also telepathic and could see auras. They introduced themselves as the Usgaran and told me that I was a danger to that universe; that they could tell because my aura was a different color than the people of that universe, that it was green. But Doctor," she said, looking at the man. "it was only ringed with green. My actual aura flares gold."

"So that's what you meant then... earlier when you said Bad Wolf?" the Doctor asked slowly.

"What's Bad Wolf then?" asked Rory.

"Yes, Doctor. And Rory, technically Bad Wolf is me; I am the Bad Wolf. But 'wolf', as I like to call her, is a second consciousness in my head and is building things in my head to control the time vortex. You saw it earlier Doctor, when my eyes were gold. Anyway, with the Usgaran, they poisoned me and left me for dead. After I lay there for a bit, my mind just went blank and I made a decision and the walls in my head came down. The pounding in my head came closer and closer until it exploded and then it just stopped altogether. Wolf showed herself. She changed my internal body structure and so now I'm not... human, anymore." The Doctor was taken aback and raised his hand to her cheek again.

"What are you then Rose?" he asked softly. She looked into his eyes and could see that he really did still care, after all this time. So she told him.

"Part time vortex," she said softly. He nodded. "It's because of that that I can be here and that I can talk to the TARDIS, because she's got the vortex inside of her and because it exists everywhere, not just in one place... like Time Lords. So I can go anywhere, do anything without causing much to change or differ from what you do. You have one timeline to keep to, but the ones I can see are everywhere. No fixed points." He nodded in understanding, though it was a lot to take in.

"So you're still part human then, yeah?" he gave a small smile.

"No." She said, looking away. She stayed quiet for a minute and then turned back to see the Doctor looking troubled.

"So... what are you then?" asked River. Rose heard her but didn't turn to look at her, opting instead to take the Doctor's hand from her cheek and hold it between two of hers. She stared at them for a second before, first, bringing it to the left side of her chest to that he could feel her heart beat. He looked at her, confused. She smiled a bit and then, slowly, brought his hand over to the right side of her chest.

The Doctor moved his eyes from her face down to his hand as soon as it got to its destination. He stared at it in disbelief.

"Doctor, what is it?" asked Amy.

He shook his head, clearing his mind. A smile started to creep across his face until it was a full blown grin. "Impossible." He said. "That's what it is, Amelia Pond, simply impossible. And that's what we do isn't it." He directed the last part at Rose who had her own grin on her face.

"Definitely." She agreed, laughing. The Doctor started laughing with her and then stood up, pulling her with him and re-crushed her to his body and lifted her up, twirling them around. He stopped and pulled back. In the heat of the moment, he leant his head down and captured her lips with his. Something that quickly became intentional.

When he kissed her, the others held their breaths. This was so confusing for them. For River, it was because she knew that she had a life with the Doctor. For Amy it was because the Doctor was never this forward or emotional with anyone and for Rory, well, he was just surprised.

When he kissed her, Rose's mind shut down. After a second or two of not responding, she quickly let her instinct take over and found her fingers entwined in his floppy still-not-ginger hair, and one of his arms around her waist, the other in her hair. In her head she heard wolf, whom she was trying to ignore, cat-calling and felt a positive hum from the TARDIS. One of them, though she didn't know which, yelled 'finally' at the two of them which had her pulling away and leaning her forehead against his.

"I-I can't..." she said when she caught her breath. "I can't do this... with you, eleven. That's not what I came here for, I can't stay with you here." He could hear the regret in her voice. He so very badly wanted this. This was his Rose; his light in the darkness, a sun in his sky, a white Rose amongst red; she had finally come back to him and was now telling him that she had to leave. "I need to go back and find ten so that at least one of you doesn't have to keep at it alone." She took her hands from his hair and ran them down his lapels and then looked into his eyes. "You understand why... right?" He looked at her, saw that she needed to save him; she was always saving him.

"Yeah, I get it." He answered quietly. "Do you remember when you first met him? You asked him if he could change back?" he chuckled. "That body was for you specifically. When nine was changing all he was thinking was 'I need something so I can still be with Rose'. And while ten was in the middle of regenerating, he went back and visited his companions. He saw Mickey and Martha, Jack, Donna, Sarah Jane... and then he went back, to New Year's Eve of 2005 and he saw you. And his last thoughts were again of you, right before he regenerated. I was made for you, Rose, and so was he."

"I remember that." She said. "You told me I was going to have a great year... and I did. I met a man with a northern accent, a big nose and floppy ears, and he showed me everything." The Doctor nodded.

"He was hurting when you found him you know. Broken, and angst-y and _alone_. But you, you showed up all pink and yellow and you made him better; you saved him. Since then he tried his best to make you happy. All he's ever wanted... all _I've_ ever wanted was for you to be happy." He smiled. "And you seem to be happiest when you're with me, but you don't know this me. I don't eat bananas like a hungry ape, I don't like jam as much as I used to and I certainly don't have that oral fixation like last time and I definitely don't act like a hyper four year old anymore." He heard one of the women behind him scoff at that statement.

"Could've fooled me." She muttered, making him laugh.

"No, I'm more like a hyper eight year old. But the one thing that will never change is the way I feel about Rose Tyler." Her breath caught in her throat. "So you go back to him and you make sure he lives, good and proper. You make sure he finishes that sentence because if he doesn't, I'll be sure to cause a paradox and make him; because Rose Tyler makes everything better, even the Doctor." He ran his hands from her shoulders down to her hands and brought them up to his hearts and then covered them with his own. "So go and save me, Rose Tyler, and make sure I don't lose myself like last time. And, try to ease this new twist on him; you might make me..._ me_ earlier than I should." He winked at her and she laughed.

"_It's time to go, dear."_ Said wolf, speaking up. She so wanted them to have their moment but if Rose didn't leave now, she'd probably never leave. The Doctor saw Rose's eyes go gold and then sad.

"What is it? What's she saying?" She looked away but he just brought her focus back to him.

"Wolf says we have to go now. You're going to be alright, right?" She asked.

"Of course I am. I'm the Doctor, I'm always alright-" Rose cut him off with a glare.

"Don't pull that with me." She said. His walls came down again and she could see the sadness in his eyes.

"I'll be fine." He said, letting go of her and sauntering over to the group at the console. He flung his arms around the shoulders of River and Amy. "I've got River Song and Amy and Rory Pond." Rory looked like he really wanted to correct the Doctor but held back.

Wolf gave her the same instructions as last time; hold the image of where you want to go in your head and stay focused, but wolf added that she actually could open her eyes if she could multi-task. Rose nodded and took a couple steps back from the Doctor and his friends. Before wolf set off, she told Rose something that the Doctor could, perhaps, look into which made Rose smile conspiratorially.

Rose thought of the last TARDIS; Ten's TARDIS design and then set the image in London so that they would shift to the TARDIS whenever he next visited London after Canary Wharf. While Rose started glowing, she spoke to the Doctor.

"The TARDIS' design should revert after I'm gone, so don't worry if she starts to fade out again." The Doctor nodded to her and she could see that he was a little teary eyed. Nothing had really been explained to his companions so they all still looked confused; nobody had told them what else she was half of. Right before they faded out, Rose called out to the Doctor once more.

"Oh, and Doctor?" She said. He looked up to her and she smiled. "Jenny's still alive. Go and find her, she's looking for you. That way, when the time comes, you'll have at least her, yeah? For me?" He looked shell-shocked and all he could do was nod. The other looked up at him in yet more confusion.

"I promise." He said, semi-spacey.

"Good." Was final thing Rose said, before shifting out of the TARDIS in another array of golden light. When she was gone, Rory, Amy and River all turned on the Doctor.

"Alright." Said Amy. "What the hell just happened? Who exactly was she? I get that you travelled with her; I think we all do." The other two nodded. "But what exactly was between the two of you? And what was the last thing she said, something about Jenny? Who is she?" the Doctor was still staring at the place that his Rose had just stood. Hadn't Jenny died? He saw her die... but was it possible that what Rose said was true? Well... of course it was! What reason would Rose have to lie to him? Someone snapping their fingers in front of his face snapped him out of his thoughts. "Doctor?" said an angry Amy.

"Yes Amelia?" He said, his voice sounding weak.

"Did you hear anything I just asked you?" he shook his head and she snorted and crossed her arms. Rory decided to save the Doctor having to deal with his agitated wife.

"Doctor, who's Jenny?" he asked. The Doctor's eyes seemed to soften with that name, but he looked kind of guarded as if his answer would bring some chaos... which it would.

"Jenny is... my daughter." He said slowly. Amy's arms dropped to her sides as she stared at the doctor in shock. River's eyes widened to the point where it would be comical if the situation weren't so serious and Rory was flabbergasted. None of them spoke for a while until one of them broke the silence.

"She – I – you... you're d-daughter? You have a daughter?" asked River.

"Sort of." Said the Doctor. Next, Amy finally came to her senses.

"What do you mean _sort of_? How can you _sort of_ have a daughter?" She raved.

"Well, some of my former companions and I ended up on this planet where they took samples of their DNA and inputted it in this machine which then made a whole person with said DNA. They forced my hand in the machine before any of us had a chance to really talk and, bam, out came a fully grown Time Lady with my DNA. Insta-daughter. That's how I _sort of _have a daughter Amy. And I need to find her because I promised her a lot of running." That brought some questions as well but none of them wanted to ask. Instead, Amy still wanted answers from earlier.

"So, who was she then?" she asked, abated.

"She was my best friend," he said wistfully. "The Hope to my Glory, the Mutt to my Jeff, the Shiver to my Shake. Together, we were the stuff of legends. That was what we told people anyway. She saved me from myself when I met her and we..." he cut himself off, he'd never really said it out loud to anyone before. He really didn't want to; it felt like the one thing he could keep to himself. So he just shook his head and walked over to the console, stroking the old cylinder. "Come on, old girl. Time to change back." The others felt like he needed some time alone to himself so River used her vortex manipulator to go back to her prison cell and Amy and Rory made their way to their room.

"I hope, old girl, that Rose knows what she's doing and that she saves my last reincarnation from what he went through. He needs it." He said out loud.

"_**You don't need to worry yourself, my doctor,**_" said the TARDIS, even though she knew he couldn't hear her. "_**Our Rose will save many versions of you, and some will have an even more difficult time of it. But many more of them will have Rose Tyler by their sides.**_" And for the next few minutes, the TARDIS changed her console room back to the one that was made for eleven.

The Doctor made his way to his library, weaving his way through the intricate hallways of the TARDIS. He hadn't been to library since the regeneration when he'd fallen into the swimming pool that had also been in the room.

He came upon the door marked 'library' and pushed it open to find that the swimming pool had, in fact, been moved. So he took a seat in his favourite armchair and picked up a book that was closest. He thought that maybe the TARDIS _wanted_ him to think about Rose and his past lives with her so he could accept the closure he was just given, for he picked up the photo album that they'd made, and for the next few hours he was silently crying in the library. Looking at picture of his tenth self and Rose, when he was 'foxy', like Cassandra had called him and Rose later confirmed. He'd kissed her forehead for that, one of the many rare times he'd allowed himself to show affection for the human girl that so affected him. She'd blushed and ran off to her room. He laughed at that memory.

For the next few days, the Doctor took Amy and Rory through space, looking for clues indicating that his daughter had been there, but that was a story for another time.

xXThe_Child_of_TimeXx

Rose was quickly growing accustomed to shifting – as she was calling what she and wolf did – and wasn't disturbed by the feeling of it.

All she was thinking about was the Doctor and how sad he'd looked. But at the same time, he'd looked as though he would live on, like he always did, but with some acceptance on her state of being and acceptance of all that had happened with his past self.

When the darkness started receding, she looked around and found comfort in the fact that at least they were in the right TARDIS.

"_Don't worry Rose, I brought us to a time where the Doctor is in London but he's out right now. Remember when I said I'd need to rest after the second move? Well how about we go and find your room so we can both get some much needed rest."_ Said wolf. Rose thought that that was a good idea and made her way through the TARDIS to where she knew her room to be.

While she was walking the TARDIS spoke with her through their link. "_**Welcome back again Rose.**_"

"_What do you mean _again_?_" Rose asked.

"_**I've got the vortex in me sweetheart, I remember what happened where you just were, that's how this bond is still working, because like the vortex itself, I transcend time and space**__._" If Rose didn't know better she would say that the TARDIS was gloating.

She came upon her room and opened the door. Shutting it firmly behind her, she turned to assess any changes the Doctor might have made, if any, to the state of her room. Nothing looked out of place so Rose made her way over to the dresser and quickly undressed and threw on a tank top, some pyjama pants and laid a house coat at the foot of her bed then made her way to the other side of said bed.

Rose was beginning to feel the drain that wolf had spoken of earlier and, quite unceremoniously, flopped down onto the bed on her stomach. Before sleep could take her, she noticed her photo album on the bedside table and proceeded to roll onto her back and reach over to pick it up. Lying back, she began flipping through pages upon pages of pictures of her and the Doctor on the planets they'd visited. She was broken from her thoughts a few minutes later by the TARDIS.

"_**Rose, when the Doctor comes back, he'll have a new companion with him... try not to give them **__**too**__** much of a fright, alright?**_" Rose shook her head drowsily and gave a tired laugh.

"Sure thing, TARDIS... is there anything I can call you other than 'TARDIS', it seems ruse to call you by what you are. It's like someone calling me 'the woman'." She felt a hum in her head signalling the TARDIS contemplating the idea. She also felt sleep closing in on her.

"Well the Doctor calls me sexy-" Rose laughed.

"Of course he does. I hear d him once when he though I wasn't around."

"- but he also calls me old girl." She continued as if Rose hadn't interrupted. "But your right, those names aren't really good for direct conversation. I guess you can call me... Idris." Rose thought for a moment.

"Idris... I like it." She then turned back to the photo album.

A few minutes later, sleep came and took Rose. As she fell into the land of dreams, the album lay on her chest, open to a picture that Jackie had taken of the Doctor and her on earth while the two hadn't been paying any mind to their surroundings.

It captured the Doctor looking at her fondly with such love and devotion in his eyes it was staggering. Rose was leaned back against his shoulder with an arm strewn across his chest while they just sat and enjoyed the day, acting the part of which they could never before have been; normal.

As Rose was sleeping she dreamt of her wonderful doctor and her off on adventures, running, hugging and being careless. Though the Doctor would never truly be careless, he was always looking out for Rose and making sure she wasn't in immediate danger and was in place that he could get to her if it became apparent that she was.

As she fell asleep, the Doctor was outside the TARDIS, asking his newfound companion to come along on more adventures with him.

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><p>So... like it? hate it? Tell me so and I'll do what I can to make the next chapter better for you guys.<p>

Thanks again for reading and I hope to hear from you.

Cheers! -Seeker


	3. Coming Home

Hello again. Firstly, I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed the last two chapters because I forgot last time. I really appreciate it and you are all so nice. Secondly, I'd hoped to get this up earlier... but then Daleks started invading my city and then some Sontarans came along and... Yeah, that's not going to work is it? Nah, truth is I lost my muse for a few days. But she's back! So here I am with your update.

Disclaimer: Don't you think If I owned Doctor Who that these would be episodes and not lame chapters on FF?

**Bold** is TARDIS/Idris (as Rose will call her). _ Italics_ are Bad Wolf, Rose, and any telepathy that goes on between them and others.

Now, onto the story! (I would also like to apologize for it's shortness but I felt that you guys wanted it and delayed no longer.)

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><p>xXThe_Child_of_TimeXx<p>

"I can't keep doing this 'one more trip' Doctor." Said Martha Jones, the Doctor's newest _sort of_ companion. The Doctor, himself, stood outside of his TARDIS which was parked in Martha's flat and was asking her to come with him. She really had proven herself in the last five trips they'd taken.

The first one had been an accident of course, with the Judoon on the Moon when they were searching for the Plasmavore. Then he took her back to see Shakespeare and then to New New York ("technically it was the fifteenth New York since the original which made it New New New New New New New New New New New New New New New New York!" he'd said.) and then back to old New York when they'd run into the last four Daleks. Finally there was the fifth adventure they'd only just finished; Professor Richard Lazarus had just tried to change his internal DNA so that he could live forever and in doing so he'd warped that same DNA so much that it had started fluctuating and he turned into a version of the human race that regular DNA had rejected years upon years ago. Anyway they'd defeated him and Martha's mum (why was it always the mothers) had slapped him and now here they were, back at her flat and he was asking her to come for one more trip. Martha wasn't necessarily saying _no_, she was just saying that she wouldn't put up with _one more_ each time.

"Alright." the Doctor answered. Martha looked taken aback. Was he just going to leave it at that and leave her? Was he just going to accept that she'd said 'no'?

"Alright!" she said, frustrated. She whirled around, not really wanting to see him go and just stood there, waiting. The Doctor, however, didn't leave. Instead he looked at her as though she'd lost her mind.

"Martha..." he said and she slowly turned back to face him. "I said alright." She looked contemplative for a moment but then, a smile started to sneak its way across her face.

"Really?" she asked, ecstatic that he'd caught on.

"Yeah." He said. Then he opened the TARDIS and motioned for her to go in. She did a little jump and ran over to hug him. He was surprised and didn't really hug her back. He didn't hug... well, he did, but not so soon after... no. He caught himself; he wasn't going to think about that. And especially not if the person he was hugging – or was hugging him – had a childlike crush on him.

"Doctor!" Yelled Martha. He had been so caught up in his – not – thinking that he'd totally missed Martha let go and enter the TARDIS. He followed her inside, now looking sombre, and shut the door behind him. Martha caught his sad look, before he could school his face into a somewhat more passive look, and called him on it. "Doctor, what's wrong?" he looked up to see her worried face.

"Hmm? Oh, nothing. I'm fine. Why don't you go and get some sleep, it's been a long few days." He felt her put her hand on his arm, trying to be soothing, he guessed, but it repulsed him, somewhat like the hug, at the moment. Silly humans and their stupid crushes, he thought. Such a human trait. Did they not realize that he would outlive them by decades if not centuries? Besides, he already loved... again, not thinking about her.

"If you need anything," she said. "Anything at all, I'll be in my room." She said and squeezed his arm one last time before letting go and turning away. He controlled himself until she left the room before letting out a violent shiver. That was about as inviting as Jackie suggesting that anything could happen when he'd been the strange man in her bedroom. Another shudder.

The TARDIS comforted him in the only way she could and that was by letting out a positive hum meant to console him. Sometimes it really sucked that they couldn't communicate or else she could have told him about Rose, being in her room, and should be waking up any minute now.

The Doctor made his way to his own room, taking the comfort that the TARDIS provided, and sat in his recliner by the nearly-full bookshelf. He let out a sigh. Every time he came to his room he had to pass Rose's which was right across the hall. The TARDIS wouldn't let him sleep in any other room. Martha's room, however, was down the hall to the left, third door on the right, up some stairs to the right and then the first door on the same side. He wasn't all too inclined to bring her with him, what with the teenage crush, but she'd saved him and he felt like he owed her which really was the worst feeling. He guessed the TARDIS felt the same way as well because it had been her who'd lead Martha to her room.

But every time he passed Rose's room he felt sadness; each time it was more unbearable. He'd asked the TARDIS several times to at least move it if she wasn't going to get rid of it but she never listened. So he just continued on and tried to sleep as little as possible. And being a Time Lord, he really didn't have to sleep all that much. So he only needed to pass her room once every two or three days depending on the adventures he'd been on.

Today was one of those days, so, feeling tired; he got up off his chair and moved, almost robotically, over to the side of his bed. He stood there and shed his brown pinstripes. The first thing to come off was his jacket. His Chucks, his socks and then his pants followed. He undid his tie and dropped it into the growing pile of clothes at his feet. He then unbuttoned his shirt, dropped it into the pile and climbed under his covers. Almost as soon as his head hit he pillow he drifted to sleep; once again dreaming of his lost blond companion.

xXThe_Child_of_TimeXx

Rose woke up straight away.

There was no sleepy in-between state, no grogginess, just alertness. She sat up from her bed and the photo album slipped off of her and onto the floor causing her to cuss under her breath at the noise it made. Stretching her muscles, she turned herself and hung her legs over the edge of the bed. She slid her feet into the slippers that hadn't been moved from their place beside her bed.

"_**The Doctor's in his room, Rose. It's still across from yours. I can place a mild perception filter around you to hide your Time Lady heartbeat and I can dampen your telepathic abilities-**_"

"_I have telepathic abilities?"_ Rose asked the TARDIS.

"_**Yes Rose, but you can only really use them to communicate with other Time Lords. That's why I have to hide it because the Doctor would sense it. Wolf will help by keeping herself scarce. Also, try not to speak to us when he has a view of your eyes until you tell him. Now, though, you should go to him.**_" Said the TARDIS. "_**And right about... now would be good.**_" When she finished speaking, Rose heard a soft groaning across the hallway, so she padded out of her room and over to his door. Slowly and quietly, she turned the knob and pushed it open. When her eyes had semi-adjusted she could see him silently thrashing around on his bed.

She hurried over to his side after making sure to close the door again. The Doctor looked like he was having a really bad nightmare. She heard him mumbling and could only make out a few things such as _no, don't go_ and _don't leave me, I love_ he cut off. The last thing she heard though made her smile softly despite the Doctor's state, she heard him whimper her name. She saw a tear slide down his distressed face and she reached over to grab his left hand with hers. She linked their fingers together and ran her free hand softly and comfortingly over his forehead, through his hair and then down to rest on his cheek. He looked like he was settling down.

"Shh," she whispered. "It's okay, I'm here." She did her best to sound comforting through the mass elation she was feeling at finally being back. His dream seemed like it was over but she continued her ministrations. His face had taken on a calm, soft smile. Too soon though, that smile twisted into one of surprise and what seemed like a hint of anger. Without opening his eyes and seeing exactly who it was, he swatted her hand away from his head and let go of the one in his hand.

"Leave me alone, Martha. I'm fine, you don't need to come in here." He said, sounding frustrated.

"Well, what a way to greet me." Rose tried to joke. "I was expecting at least a smile... maybe even a hug." His eyes bolted open and sat up very quickly. Not looking at her, probably thinking he was still dreaming and that if he saw her she would disappear, he spoke.

"Rose?" his voice sounded choked. "Am I still dreaming or are you actually here?" he sounded scared, pleading for her to answer his last question with a no and then a yes... which she hurried to do.

"God, I hope you're not dreaming because that would make it all a dream for me to. Yes, doctor, I'm actually here." She reached down for his hand with one of hers and turned his face to hers with another, kneeling on the edge of his bed. He looked into her eyes – his looking a bit misty – and a big goofy grin was spread across his face.

"Rose!" he said louder. He tugged on her hand and pulled her to him. Kind of in a forced situation, Rose sat straddling his lap. Ignoring that though, he seemed as elated to see her as she was him. His arms found their way around her waist and she lowered her head to his shoulder, breathing deeply.

"Doctor." She said reverently. His head leaned over and against hers and his grip tightened. She wound her arms around his torso and pressed a kiss to his shoulder causing him to shiver. As he realized the position he had inadvertently put them in, he cleared his throat. Rose raised her head and blushed. "Sorry." She muttered and moved off to the side, keeping a hold of his hand.

"Don't worry about it." He said. She was kneeling beside him, leaning back against her feet, one hand on her thigh and the other still in his hand. He picked up one of her hand and brought it to his mouth. He pressed a kiss, in return, to her knuckles and held her gaze as he did. She chewed on the inside of her cheek and looked to the pillows.

She could tell that he was still kind of sleepy, which was why he wasn't asking her questions at a million miles a minute, and decided that they would talk later, after he got some more sleep. In making this decision, she took her hand and pushed against his chest, lowering him back down to lie on the pillows.

"Rose what are you-"

"Shh." She cut him off. "We'll talk later after you've gotten some more sleep; you look exhausted. Go back to sleep." He nodded and was still holding her other hand. She tried to pry her hand form his but it only made him tighten his grip.

"Stay?" he asked, sleepily. "Please... I need you here when I wake up or else I'll..." he didn't know what would happen if he woke up to not find her there with him. He looked like a lost puppy and who was Rose to deny him.

"Alright." She agreed. His face immediately brightened and he stretched his arm out for her to lie on. She rolled her eyes. Yes, she thought, definitely like a four year old.

She turned down the sheets on her side and burrowed into them. Once settled she lowered her head into the crook of his shoulder and his arm immediately curled around to rest on her upper arm. She flung her arm across his stomach and then pulled up the covers.

The Doctor twisted his head into the top of hers and breathed in content. "Goodnight, my Rose." He said dreamily.

Rose's breath hitched in her throat. "Night." She managed to get out. Within ten minutes, his breathing had slowed and his grip loosened on her arm, though not by much. She raised her head just a little bit to look at his face. It was so peaceful, so serene, unlike when he was awake and bore the weight of the worlds on his shoulders, so many different things troubling him. She smiled and lowered her head back to his shoulder.

Rose Tyler fell asleep to the beating of his Time Lord hearts, with a genuine smile on her face for the first time in a long time.

xXThe_Child_of_TimeXx

It was about seven hours later when Rose woke up again. This time, however, there was some residual sleepiness so she had to blink a few times to gather her surroundings. Sometime during their sleep, Rose and turned onto her right side and it took a minute or so to realize that the Doctor was staring at her from above. Her back was to his front and it was only now that she was realizing that he was in nothing more than his boxer shorts. He had only just come to the same conclusion about her state of dress – or undress – mere minutes before. The Doctor's arm was wrapped protectively around her stomach and was holding his head up with his right arm, enabling him to stare down at her. She smiled up at him which he returned in kind.

"Hi." She said quietly.

"Hello." The Doctor was resisting the urge to run his hand down the soft expanse of her arm. He was resisting doing anything at this time because he had to know how this could be happening right now; how his Rose could be here. With a slight frown now marring his distinguished features he asked her. "How is this possible? You were gone! How are you here, Rose? Not that I'm not happy, because I am. It's great to see you and I'm ecstatic, but it's practically impossible for you to be here, on this side of the universe without both of them collapsing!" she smiled at his antics and rambling and then flipped onto her back. She raised her left hand to his cheek. He leant into it slightly but his face was still contemplative.

"Something happened, back in Pete's world." She started. His expression quickly changed from questioning to one of concern and worry but didn't say anything, allowing for her to continue. "Something big happened, and I can't... explain it to you. Not yet, but I can tell you that they want us to be together." He cocked an eyebrow.

"You're mum actually wants us to be together?" he asked, disbelievingly.

"No. Well, yes, her too. But I meant the universes. They gave me a way to get back to you but I can't tell you until some conditions are met... and I can't tell you what those are either. You have to come upon it yourself." She was frowning slightly, they both were. The Doctor because he was confused; what would he have to come upon himself, he wondered, and Rose because she hoped he would just come out and say it and not be nervous or frightened. "So until then," she said, continuing, and grinning up at him – tongue between teeth – and looking straight into his meaningful gaze. "You're stuck with me."

The Doctor's hearts swelled, almost to the point of bursting. He had his Rose back and there was no hole in the universes. He could hug her, he could feel her, he could kiss her and he could love her... but he couldn't, he would try and control himself or else it would be painful for one – or both – of them in the end.

Rose felt somewhat more complete, now that she was back in the arms of her Doctor, but she knew it wouldn't last. He would get up and they would ignore this tension between them. She knew he could feel it, his eleventh had said so, and she wished she could tell him, but what wolf said had been true. Did she want him to say he loved her because he wanted to, because he did love her and needed her to know, or because he knew he could have her for his forever?

"Being stuck with you, Rose Tyler, is a burden I would gladly hold." Without actually thinking about it, he lowered his lips to her forehead and let them linger for longer than necessary. Rose's breath caught in her throat. Will he actually just come out with it, she asked herself. Hopefully someone would answer her on that question later.

The Doctor brought his head back up and, upon realising what he'd done; his cheeks reddened and started stammering. Rose thought she would just put him out of his misery and pulled him down on her, crushing him in a hug which he gladly returned.

"I'm so happy I'm back." She said, giving him an out. She needed him to say it on his own terms, not hers. Of that, she was sure now. He pulled himself a little closer to him and brought his mouth over to her ear. Rose was glad her face was hidden because she blushed madly.

"I'm glad you're back too... my Rose." He knew what she'd done; she was the only one who'd ever really done that. She was the first of his companions who would let him out of his embarrassment or nervousness by changing the subject rather than push for an explanation or an answer, and he was glad for it. Thinking of embarrassment, he remembered their clothes, or lack thereof, and pulled back slightly so his nose was almost brushing hers. "I should put some clothes on... and so should you miss Tyler. Big day ahead, big adventures await and lots of running to do. You know, the whole shebang." He grinned at her and she laughed softly, nodding her head.

Reluctantly, the Doctor pulled out of her embrace and sat up against his head board. Rose did the same, neither one of them really wanting to leave the company of the other. Experimentally, she reached out for his hand and he responded almost immediately, tangling their fingers and sporting the biggest grin she'd ever seen on his face. Without either of them moving, just sitting side-by-side chatting, they talked for the next period of time. Neither of them knew for sure how long they talked or what they talked about but they did. They spoke about everything and nothing, what Rose had been up to in Pete's world – excluding the headaches and Bad Wolf, of course – and what the Doctor had been up to since she'd left. He told her about the fiery red head named Donna that had appeared right after they'd said goodbye on the beach, and about Martha who was now on board.

"It's been a hectic time." He said looking over at her on his right. She gave him a soft smile and squeezed his hand reassuringly. "But I'm so glad you're here! Rose Tyler and the Doctor in the TARDIS, together again as it should be." Rose nodded and smiled at him. The Doctor was absently playing with the fingers of her left hand with his as it was clasped with his right.

"I should probably go and get dressed and you should put on your suit. Martha is probably up now and not knowing what to do with herself." Said Rose. And then she grinned evilly. "She might even start playing around with the TARDIS console." The Doctor quickly adapted a panicked look about him and hurriedly pushed her out of his room muttering something about meeting her in the hallway in about twenty minutes. Rose just laughed and shut the door when the Doctor forgot.

"_**You know perfectly well Rose that I wouldn't let her **__**actually**__** do anything with any of my controls right?**_" the TARDIS asked.

"_I know that, Idris, but the Doctor doesn't and its fun seeing him all flustered."_ Rose heard a melodic laugh in her head at that statement which she took to mean that the TARDIS agreed with her.

She made her way over to her room and opened the door. Stepping inside she took a deep breath. She walked over to her dresser to find some clothes to wear for the day that would be comfortable for the inevitable running they would be doing. Pulling out a faded pink t-shirt, she swapped it for the tank top she had on. Closing that drawer, she opened another and rooted around for some jeans. She found a pair that was grey but sort of faded as well towards the middle and quickly shed her pyjama pants.

Pulling on the jeans, she walked over to the bathroom that adjoined her room and took a look in the mirror. Her hair was all over the place but all in all she looked great. Picking up a brush, she combed through her hair just enough to get all the tangles out before throwing it up in a messy bun. She then went through the daily routine of brushing her teeth, washing her face, applied some make up and walked back out of the bathroom. Looking at the clock beside her bed she reckoned she had about five minutes before the Doctor came calling so she went the mini closet and looked for a pair of trainers to wear for the day and a sweater. Rooting around, she found a pair of low top light pink Chucks the Doctor had bought her when they'd went shopping. 'You can never have too many pairs of converse, Rose.' He'd said. Pulling them on, she grabbed the purple sweater she wore on the Christmas that he regenerated and hurried over to her door. She pulled it open to find the Doctor standing there with his hand raised as if to knock.

The Doctor lowered his hand. "You ready Rose?" he asked.

"Yup." She said, popping the 'p' like he normally did. The Doctor grinned at her and motioned for her to come. She followed him and they walked down the hall, side-by-side. It wasn't a long walk, really, because their rooms were just down the hall from the console room. When they got there the doctor noted that the lights looked like they were shining brighter.

"She's almost as glad as I am to have you home Rose." He said to her, running his hand over one of the pillars. The TARDIS hummed to him but spoke to Rose.

"_**He's got that right. I don't really like this companion he has now. She spent a lot of time in her room trying to come up with a plan to make him notice her more. And she acts childish half the time.**_" Said the TARDIS. Rose was just glad the Doctor was turned away at that moment and didn't see the gold in her eyes. "_**Oh calm down Rose, I wouldn't have spoken if I knew he was watching you.**_" Rose just sent a nod through the link, not really wanting to chance it. She got something akin to an eye roll in return.

"I'm glad to _be_ back." Rose said to the Doctor. "Are you hungry? I can go and grab us something from the TARDIS kitchen, it you'd like. Tea, maybe." He looked at her over his shoulder and gave her a smile.

"Yeah, I'd love that. Milk-"

"One sugar, yes, I know. Anything to eat?" she asked.

"A banana, maybe some toast and jam... strawberry if there is any. Thanks." He smiled at her again and turned back to the console, beginning his daily tinkering. Rose turned around and walked back through the hallway towards where she knew the kitchen to be. On the way she spoke with the TARDIS.

"_Does he ever actually do anything with all that tinkering and messing around he does?"_ she asked as she entered the kitchen.

"_**Not really. He just likes to keep his hands busy. Normally, he'll just go through all of the procedures of taking something apart just to put it back together. I can take care of myself if anything ever **__**really**__** bad ever happens.**__" _Rose nodded and put some water in the kettle and then started to heat it.

"_So what about the chameleon circuit? Can't you fix it?"_ the TARDIS sniffed in response. Rose opened the bag with the loaf of bread in it and took out four slices. Popping them in the toaster, she took a seat at the table and waited.

"_**Of course I can. But when it first broke, I fixed it only for the Doctor to go back to the 50's and re-break it. He likes the police box cover. That way it stands out and he can find it easily.**_" Rose laughed at that. Of course he would just keep it as a police box.

"_Well, I like it too. And it does stand out! It's great for finding him when he's been gone. Just look for the big blue box and the Doctor's not far behind."_ They both had a laugh at that and then sat in companionable silence.

When the toast popped, Rose got up again and pulled out two plates from the cupboard. She buttered the golden slices and then went to the fridge for the strawberry jam. When she opened it however, it was jam packed with... well... jam! Rose rolled her eyes and started what was looking to be a quest for the jam.

About seven and a half minutes later she was standing in front of the counter with five kinds of strawberry jam. She decided just to go for the one that looked most normal and put the other four back into the disaster that was the fridge. When she closed the door, the kettle started to whistle so she grabbed two cups from the cupboard and set them down. Pouring the water into the cups, she grabbed two tea bags from the jar on the counter and dropped them into it. She stirred it until it was a dark shade of brown-ish colour and then removed the bags. After that she dropped two spoons of sugar into her cup and one into the doctors and then poured the milk.

When the tea was done, she finally got to spreading the jam over the toast. She put extra onto the Doctor's the way she knew he liked and then returned the jam to its original spot in the fridge.

"_Are there any tray's to carry this on?"_ Rose asked the TARDIS.

"_**Yes dear, there are some in the cupboard under the counter to the left of the fridge.**_" Rose grabbed one of the few that were there and then put two slices of toast each on two separate plates. She then proceeded to put everything onto the tray and walked out of the kitchen and back to the console room.

"_Thanks."_ Rose said just before she entered the room. She felt a nod and smiled.

Entering the room, the Doctor looked up from his fixing and gave Rose a huge smile. Rose walked over and placed the tray down on the jump seat.

"I put extra jam on your toast." She said, handing him his cup of tea. He gratefully took it and raised it slightly.

"Cheers, Rose." She nodded. She looked down at the tray and noticed that she forgot his banana.

"Oh no, I forgot your fruit. Let me just go back and grab one, I won't be long." She said.

"Rose it's fine, I don't need one. You don't need to-"

"No no, Doctor, let me go and get one for you." She reached out and gave his hand a quick squeeze and smile at him. She set down her tea and walked out of the room again.

xXThe_Child_of_TimeXx

When she left he leaned back against the console and grinned to himself. He finally had Rose back and nothing was wrong. No alien distractions, no end of the world. All was well and he was happy. He picked up a piece of toast and took a bite.

"Doctor!" he heard someone call. That wasn't Rose's voice. Oh yeah, he thought, Martha's on board. That's why we came out of my room in the first place... where has she been? "Doctor?" he heard being called again. He decided that he should probably answer her.

"I'm in the console room, Martha." He said only loud enough for her to hear.

She walked into the room, seemingly following his voice.

"Jeesh!" she said as she entered. "It took me forever to find the room this morning! I kept getting lost and just when I thought I'd found my way again something seemed to change."

The Doctor sent a silent thanks to the TARDIS and got a hum in return.

Martha eyed the second plate of tea and cup of toast that was on the tray in front of the Doctor. "Did you make breakfast?" without waiting for an answer she walked over and picked up a slice of toast and started to pick at it. Does he already notice me, she thought to herself, and I just haven't noticed him seeing me? She shrugged internally and took the few steps separating her from the Doctor. "Thank you for making it." She raised a hand to his arm but he didn't seem to notice. Instead he was looking over her shoulder.

A cough at the doorway caught her attention and she stiffened. Maybe it's something dangerous and that's why the Doctor's not doing anything, she thought to herself.

Slowly she let her arm drop to the side and turned around to look at the hallway when something whizzed over her head, lightly skimming the top.

xXThe_Child_of_TimeXx

Rose walked down the hallway back towards the kitchen.

"_I would've thought Martha'd be about by now. Any idea where she is, Idris?"_ Rose casually asked the TARDIS.

The sentient machine snickered in her head. "_**Yes Rose.**_" And that was all she said. Rose kept walking but wanted more than that.

"_So where is she then?"_ she asked impatiently. Right then she walked into the kitchen. Bananas, bananas, where does he keep the bananas, she thought to herself. The TARDIS laughed again.

"_**Bananas are in the centre-most cupboard. And I've been keeping Martha busy with fake hallways, moved hallways and illusions so you and the Doctor could have some private time before having to explain to her.**_"

Rose outright laughed at that. "_Thanks Idris."_ She commented.

Opening the middle cupboard she found it backed to the brim with bananas. There were bundles upon bundles. Well, she thought, I guess he eats them fast enough for them not to go rotten. Grabbing one for him, she closed the door and went back to the console room.

"_**She's there now, Rose, with the Doctor. I let her go; she was getting frustrated with me."**_ Rose nodded and kept walking, letting the gold have a chance to fade out of her eyes before she got back.

Soon enough, she reached the console room and saw a woman standing to close for comfort to the Doctor. She saw his eyes rise slightly to meet hers and saw that look in his eye that said "sorry-about-this-she's-just-coming-on-to-me-but-don't-worry-Rose-I-can-handle-it".

And then Rose noticed that Martha had a slice of toast in her hand. She raised her own to cover the giggles that threatened to rise from her throat. Of course, the Doctor looked indignant at this. Rose thought she had an idea of what was going on. Martha thought he made them both breakfast and thought he was interested in her. The Doctor had mentioned her teenage-like crush when they'd sat in bed.

Suddenly the girl tensed and started to lower her hand from where it was placed on the Doctor's forearm. Trying to hide her amusement, Rose schooled her features into those of impassiveness.

From where she stood, Rose tossed the Doctor his banana, which he caught deftly, over Martha.

"Hello." Rose said.

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><p>So... How'd I do? Reviews please and tell me so I can get better for you all and you will get better chapters.<p>

Thanks for reading, once again, and I hope you enjoy your weeks! I know I will! My birthday is tomorrow :D so excited!

Cheers! -Seeker


	4. The Sun's not evil! Part One

__Hello again everyone! Once again i'd like to thank those who read and all those who reviewed, it's always appreciated. :) Nobody really wants to read anything up here so it's going to be as short as possible.

_ Italics_ for when Rose and Wolf speak telepathically. **_Bold _****_Italics_** for anything Idris says to Rose. Underlined for the automated voice of the S.S. Pentallian and _Underlined Italics_for the Toraji Sun speaking to Rose.

**Disclaimer:** I really, really, _really_ don't own doctor who or any other origins of reference I may or may not use.

__Thanks again and onto the story:

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><p><em>Last time: <em>

_Suddenly the girl tensed and started to lower her hand from where it was placed on the Doctor's forearm. Trying to hide her amusement, Rose schooled her features into those of impassiveness. _

_From where she stood, Rose tossed the Doctor his banana, which he caught deftly, over Martha._

"_Hello." Rose said. _

xXThe_Child_of_TimeXx

The Doctor stood stock still when Martha put her hand on his arm. Again, he really didn't like it when people did that... except Rose, but that's a different story because the feelings were different. He was staring at Martha, trying to figure out what in the nine circles of hell she was thinking, when he saw something moving over her shoulder. Shifting his glance, he saw Rose at the door looking at the two of them.

Thinking she might get the wrong idea he sent her a look trying to convey that she was coming onto him but he wasn't actually condoning it. She caught his look and then looked at Martha. She must have realized what was happening because her hand shot up to cover her mouth and he could see the mirth dancing through her eyes. He tried his best to look annoyed but it only made her amusement skyrocket.

Martha seemed to notice that his gaze wasn't on her anymore and was directed behind her because she seemed to tense.

Rose's face quickly went from amused to impassive as Martha finally lowered her hand from his forearm. Without any warning, she tossed the banana over to him which he caught and spoke.

"Hello." Rose said.

Martha was now turned around and looking at Rose, shock and surprise clear in her features. Rose just returned her gaze with a smile and then started walking over to where they stood. Each of her steps were more measured and calculated than he remembered and he thought that that might have something to do with whatever happened back on Pete's world.

When she reached them she bent over and grabbed her tea from the tray and her remaining piece of toast.

Taking a sip from her tea she turned to Martha. "It's nice to finally meet you. The Doctor's told me about your adventures together." She took a bite of her toast.

Martha, for her part, was just standing there, mouth gaping like a fish. Taking a moment, the Doctor slipped away from her, having finished his toast, and walked the few steps towards Rose and reached around her to grab his tea.

He leaned against the console beside Rose and watched Martha as she was doing.

Gathering her thoughts, Martha closed her mouth and put down the toast. "So who are you then?" she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Me? I'm Rose Tyler." She stuck out a hand for Martha to shake. "And you are Martha Jones. Like I said, pleasure to meet you." Martha's brain shut down when Rose said her name. Mechanically she raised her hand to shake Rose's outstretched one and then let it drop back down to her side.

Once her brain started up again it went into over drive with questions; for herself, for Rose and for the Doctor. Now she realized she was either going to have to try harder to gain the Doctor's attention or just give up. The latter was unthinkable in her mind so she resolved to double her efforts.

"When did you get here? The Doctor said you were gone." Rose looked questioningly at the aforementioned Time Lord.

"You talked about me?" she said in a mock-sweet voice. He rolled his eyes which only made her half-heartedly smack his stomach. For the sake of retaliation he doubled over in mock-pain and fell to his knees. Rose just smacked the back of his head and he looked up at her trying for the puppy dog face. After a few seconds of that they both just dissolved into laughter.

Martha looked on with a face that clearly said she thought they were insane. When the laughter stopped the Doctor held his hand up for her to pull him back to his feet which Martha reached for. Before she got there however, Rose pulled him up and left her hand lingering in his for a moment before they both let go and Rose's cheeks coloured a bit.

"I was gone." Rose continued. "But I found a way back. Now, though, I'm here for good." She smiled up at the Doctor who looked back at her with the same expression. Martha thought it was disgusting how she was practically all over the Doctor, disregarding the fact that he was doing the exact same.

Rose looked up at the Doctor and saw some hesitation in his eyes about her statement of _being here for good_, but she also saw hope and happiness. There was also what _she _was hoping was love. She knew he loved her, he was just afraid to say it. But he showed it daily, in their hugs, when they held hands and even in brief glances her way that he didn't think she saw.

For the Doctor's part he was so hoping that Rose _would_ be there for good. He couldn't take to losing her again after he just got her back not long after losing her for the first time. He was happy but he was also scared that Rose's statement earlier that morning, that the universes wanted them together, was wrong and that it would throw something at them that they wouldn't be able to get through together. He loved her too much to lose her again.

A cough from Martha brought them both from their thoughts. They realized that they'd been staring at each other and quickly turned away. Rose finished up her tea, as did the Doctor.

Martha couldn't get away from the two fast enough because of the sudden tension. It wasn't so thick you could cut it, but it was subtle and it was there.

"I'll take the tray back to the kitchen alright?" she offered. The Doctor just glanced her way and gave a slight nod before turning back to whatever he was doing with the console. Picking up the tray and gathering the cups, she walked out of the console room and down the hall.

When Martha left, the Doctor's shoulders sagged a little bit. He'd forgotten about his and Rose's tendency to lose themselves in each other because normally he just waved it off. Last time he'd seen her, she'd only solidified the notion he'd had that maybe she could love him the way he loved her and he'd been about to tell her the same; that he loved her and would forever, but his picture had cut out before he could finish.

When he saw her again last night, he'd been about to say it straight off the bat because he thought he was in another dream. He wasn't. She was actually there and he'd been ecstatic and still willing to say those three small yet heavy words. He couldn't. He thought if he did, she might be scared off, so soon after she got back to him, defying possibilities once again. He wouldn't. If Rose had just said it back on Pete's world because she thought she'd never see him again or because she loved him in a familial way – like a brother – and he told her now that he was in love with her... well, he didn't want to take that chance.

So he resolved that until she said it once again, solid and in front of him where he could hold her hand, he would tell her. He would scream it from rooftops if she wanted, but he _would_ tell Rose Tyler that he loved her.

The first time he lost her was enough to knock some semblance of sense back into him and he wasn't going to lose her again without her knowing his feelings. He'd thought before that if they ignored any feelings between them then it would hurt less.

He was wrong.

So this time he wasn't going to be such a prat and he wasn't going to ignore anything that came up between the two of them. Maybe that would goad Rose into speaking her feelings again and then, _then_ he would finally tell her he loved her.

"Doctor." He thought he heard someone say. He was too caught up in his thoughts to think anything of it so he just ignored it. "Doctor." He heard again. Louder this time though, and then he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and saw Rose looking at him with worried eyes. "Are you alright" she asked.

He gave her his biggest smile and nodded. "I'm brilliant!"

"Good." She said to him and ran her hand down from his shoulder to tangle their fingers together. "So," she asked, turning towards the console, keeping a hold of his hand. "Where are we going next, Sir Doctor?" She caught her tongue with her teeth and smiled.

"Well, Dame Rose, I was thinking, 'where have we talked about going but never made it to?' and I realized that we've never actually got around to going to Barcelona." He looked down at her and smiled. "So how about we go and visit, huh?" he nudged her with his hip and she giggled.

"Barcelona sounds great. " For the second time that day, Rose lost herself in the Doctor's gaze. She herself was wondering why he wasn't ignoring the feelings between them. Why he was letting them build and trying to keep them there. Maybe he was finally getting over his fear of losing her. Or maybe that's what was driving him; the thought that if he lost her again it might be too late.

Maybe if I wanted to kiss him, she thought to herself, he would let me and we'd have our first kiss where the threat of something else wasn't looming over us. My head isn't burning and nothing, or no one, is taking over either of our bodies. Rose let her gaze drop from his eyes to his lips and licked her own subconsciously.

The Doctor noticed her eyes leave his and then took note of where they now rested; his lips. He let his own flick down to hers only to catch her tongue running over them. His mouth parted a bit and he brought his eyes back to hers. Slowly, he brought their entwined hands up to his chest and took a step forwards towards her. Her eyes rose to meet his and he saw them full of question and hope.

He's actually letting it take its course this time, she thought. She felt a hum from the TARDIS because if they talked then her eyes would glow and he would see. She could feel his heartbeats beneath her hand and raised her other one to cover the other side of his chest. She took the last remaining step between the two and raised her head a little bit, letting him decide whether to do this or not.

Slowly, the Doctor started to lower his head. They could feel their breaths intermingling together and drew even closer. Rose slid her right hand up to his neck and the Doctor lowered his left to her hips. When their lips were so close to touching, they heard someone clearing their throat from the hall. Jumping apart quicker than you can say 'go', they let go of each other and blushed. The Doctor's was more controlled and lighter but Rose's cheeks were almost as red as Amy's hair was. At least, that what Rose thought.

Martha walked over to the two. "So, Doctor, where are we headed now?"

The Doctor spared a glance at Rose who was busying herself with fondling the TARDIS' controls. "Rose and I thought we'd go to-" the Doctor jumped and then shoved his hand in his pockets. Rose looked up from what she was doing and turned her gaze towards the frantic Doctor.

"Doctor?" she asked. "What's wrong?" he was shoulder deep in his pockets searching for something. Rose was having a hard time not laughing at the predicament he'd gotten himself into.

"I know... it's... in here... somewhere..." she heard him mumble. Martha was just looking at him with fondness. Rose looked over at the older woman and rolled her eyes at the look she had on her face. Of course, it's hard not to fall for the Doctor after a while but it was there, as clear as day on her features. If Martha was going to insist on vying for the Doctor's affections then Rose would get annoyed very quickly.

The Doctor, of course, didn't seem to either notice or care about Martha's advances or passing glances. He just disregarded it and kept on doing what he was doing.

"Aha!" the Doctor shouted, finding whatever it is he was looking for. He pulled his arm out of his pocket and came up with an old leather wallet. Looking closer, Rose could see that it seemed to be glowing, but it was very subtle like a blur around the edges. The Doctor opened the wallet and looked at what was inside.

"The psychic paper!" said Martha. "But what do you want with that while we're in the TARDIS?" the Doctor looked up and once again the thought of 'why did I bring her on the TARDIS with me again?' sprung into his mind. Shaking clear of that thought, though, he took a breath.

Showing them the psychic paper he spoke. "There's a message on it. It's a distress signal and a name. Sorry, Rose, I think we'll have to delay our trip even more." Rose smiled.

"It's almost like the universe has something against us going to Barcelona. The planet not the city." She directed the last bit at Martha who just nodded.

"Someone must think it's a bad idea for us to go there because we always leave havoc in our wake." The Doctor winked at Rose. "So!" he said, getting back on track. "Let's get going and follow this distress signal, shall we?" Rose nodded and Martha hummed in agreement. "Great!" he turned to the console and started pushing, pulling and twisting seemingly random things. The time rotor started to make the familiar grating noise and then they were off.

"What do you think it could be Doctor?" Rose asked, excitement clear in her voice. Suddenly the TARDIS started to bump and shake and the inhabitants were thrown around. All three of them landed on the ground but Rose and the Doctor reached for each other and then started to laugh hysterically. "Just like old times." Said Rose when they calmed down a bit. The Doctor nodded and then got to his feet, pulling Rose with him. Not one to be mean, he held his hand out for Martha as well. She took it and was pulled to her feet.

The Doctor looked over at the monitor and saw that there was a distress signal on it as well.

"Just a spot of turbulence." He said to Rose and Martha. "Let's go see what's outside, yeah?" That said, he unconsciously reached for Rose's hand and ran for the door. Martha followed behind them looking a bit put off.

As the Doctor reached the door he put his free hand on the handle and turned to Rose.

"Are you ready?" he asked her. Rose gave him her biggest grin and nodded her head. The Doctor wrenched open the door and stepped out.

"Whoa! Now that is _hot_." He said as he got outside. A voice inside the room they were in was repeating the message 'automated distress signal transmitting'. Martha stepped out behind the pair and closed the TARDIS behind her.

"It's like a sauna in here." She noted.

"Venting systems." The Doctor said while he looked around the room. "Should be working at full power trying to cool down... uh, wherever it is we are." He walked over to a door. "Well! If you can't stand the heat..." he pushed it opened and motioned for Rose to go through. He held the door open for Martha as well and then exited the room himself. "Oh, that's better." He said.

"Oi, you three!" yelled someone from down the hall.

"Get out of there!" said another voice that was discernibly female.

The Doctor, Rose and Martha turned to see three people, two males and a female, running towards them.

"Close that door, now!" said the same male voice. The Doctor looked on in confusion while the people were frantically trying to close the cast iron door.

"Who are you? What are you doing on my ship?" asked the woman in the group. The Doctor looked at her and then turned around as one of the men spoke.

"Are you the police?" he asked the Doctor.

"Why would we be the police?" he asked in return.

"We got your distress signal." Rose told them. All of a sudden there was something in her head. She was glad the Doctor was preoccupied because wolf spoke up right then.

"_Rose, there's something else here. Something is trying to get into your head with telepathy. I can hold it off but find out what's happening!"_ said the frantic wolf.

"_What is it? Can you tell?"_ Rose asked in return.

"_No but if you want I can partially let it in. It doesn't seem intent on harm."_ Rose nodded for wolf to do so and there was a bright white light in her mind's eye and a voice.

"_Help me.__" _it said. When whatever it was that was speaking, spoke, it sounded overlapped like a female voice and a male voice speaking at the same time.

"_Who are you?"_ Rose asked softly. "_How can I help?"_

"_I am the Toraji. This is the fault of captain McDonnell. I am hurt. They took my heart!__"_ Rose felt what the Toraji felt through her mind. Her knees buckled underneath her and she fell to the ground. Her head bowed and she could feel tears running down her face.

While Rose was talking with wolf and the Toraji the Doctor and Martha were conversing with the crew of the S.S. Pentallian. He was told that as of four minutes ago their engines had broken down and their ship was on a crash course for the sun that was outside.

"Secure Closure: Active." Said a machine automated voice of the Pentallian. Everyone in the room looked around and saw that the doors were shutting themselves. One by one they were getting locked in.

"This ships gone mad." Said the man who the Doctor knew now to be Riley Vashtee. The other man who had come with the captain was Orin Scannell who suggested that instead of talking they get to engineering to fix the engines.

"Who activated secure closure?" said another woman who was running through the rapidly closing doors. "I nearly got locked in to area 27." She stopped and looked at the Doctor. "Who are you?" she asked.

"He's the Doctor, that's Rose and I'm Martha." She replied for them, pointing out each individual. "Hello." In saying this she started to walk over to a window she could see on the wall unaware of her surroundings. This was when Rose collapsed to the ground.

"Rose!" the Doctor shouted. He fell to his knees as well and put his arms around her. "Rose, what's wrong?" he asked. He reached up to wipe the tears trailing down her face.

"It hurts. It's hurting. It's dying." Rose replied semi-incoherently.

"Impact Projection: 42 minutes and 27 seconds." The automated voice said.

Captain McDonnell, not hearing what Rose said, spoke. "We'll get out of this." She said. "I promise."

"Doctor." Martha said, looking out of the window.

"42 minutes until what?" the Doctor asked, trying to console Rose and not hearing Martha call his name.

"Doctor!" Martha said again, louder this time and walked closer to the window.

"Not now Martha, I'm busy." He turned back to Rose who had her eyes shut tight and her hands around her stomach. "Rose what hurts? What's dying?" she just shook her head.

"_Wolf what's going on? What is it and what's it talking about?"_ she screamed frantically in her head.

"_From what I can tell, the Toraji is the sun that this ship is hurtling towards. Rose, judging by the time we're in and some laws I know have come to pass recently, it seems to me that this ship is still illegally using energy scoops for fusion. The Toraji said they took its heart."_ Rose could hear the sadness in wolf's voice.

"_You are called Rose?_" asked the strained voice of the Toraji. Rose sent a mental nod to the sun. "_Can you help me, Rose?_" Rose then heard an agonizing sound come from her mind.

"_What can I do? I don't know what to do."_ Rose said.

"_Rose, this sun needs its heart back. We need to get the captain to give the Toraji back its heart. If we can't, then this ship will crash into it and the sun will die as well as those on board."_ Rose nodded.

"_I'll help you but for now I need to cut you from my mind or else I won't be able _to_ help."_

"_Yes Rose, thank you.__"_ And with that, the pain was gone and Rose could move again. She noticed the Doctor kneeling in front of her and he was asking her questions. She just shook her head and gave him a soft smile. She moved to get up but the Doctor shot that idea down.

"Are you alright Rose? What happened?" he asked.

"I'm fine." She replied. "I don't know what came over me, but it's gone now." He nodded and pulled her to her feet again. He remembered that Martha had wanted something and walked over to see what all the fuss was about.

"What is it Martha?" he asked.

"Look!" was all she said in reply. He turned his gaze and looked out of the window.

In return to his earlier question McDonnell answered, "42 minutes until we crash into the sun." Sure enough, when he saw outside, they were shooting towards a sun.

The Doctor ran over to McDonnell and grabbed her arms. "How many crew members are there on board?" he asked frantically.

"Seven." She answered. "Including us."

"We transport cargo across the galaxy. Everything's automated we just keep the ships-" Orin started to say but the Doctor interrupted him.

"Call the others!" He yelled. "I'll get you out." He ran over to the door they'd come through before and started to open it.

"What's he doing?" asked Riley.

"Doctor, don't!" McDonnell said. Never one to listen, the Doctor pulled open the door and loads of scalding steam shot free of their confinement. Gasps were heard and the Doctor fell on the ground onto his back.

Rose rushed over to him. "Doctor? Are you alright?" she asked. While she spoke, the new woman, Erina Lessak, closed the door.

"My ship's in there!" the Doctor said, clearly fine.

"What, in the vent chamber?" Riley asked.

Rose let go of the Doctor when he began to stand up. "It's our lifeboat." Rose said, standing up herself.

"It's lava." Orin answered, seemingly unperturbed.

"The temperature's going mad in there." Erina said while looking at a meter. "Up three thousand degrees in ten seconds and still rising."

"Channelling the air." Said Riley. "The closer we get to the sun, the hotter that room's going to get."

Martha was having a hard time taking all of this in. They didn't have access to the TARDIS and they were gravitating closer to a hot sun. "We're stuck here." She stated.

The Doctor just looked at her. After all they'd done, did she have _no_ faith in him at all?

"So," he started. "We fix the engines we steer the ship away from the sun. Simple! Engineering down here is it?" he asked and started to walk down an unsealed hall.

"Impact in 40:26." Spoke the automated voice.

The Doctor ducked under some pipes and came into a room. "Blimey!" he said. "Do you always leave things in such a mess?" he asked McDonnell. She came into the room right after him followed by Rose, Riley, Orin, Martha and Erina.

"Oh my god!" said the captain.

"What the hell happened?" asked Orin.

"It's wrecked." Riley stated.

"Pretty efficiently too... somebody knew what they were doing." The Doctor said. He walked around the table with all of the engineering material.

"Where's Korwin?" McDonnell asked Riley and Orin. "Has anyone heard from him or Ashton?"

"_Rose, we can't come out and just tell the Doctor that the crew needs to dump their load back into the sun. He'd wonder how you knew and you'd blow your cover."_ Wolf said while the Doctor investigated and the captain talked to her crew.

"_I know that wolf. It's not really like we _have_ to keep this a secret from him, but it's the better solution. How are we going to get them to give the Toraji's heart back then, though?"_ Rose said.

"_If you can get to wherever it is that they're keeping it then I can manipulate the ship into unloading it and it should go right back to the Toraji."_ Rose nodded, it sounded like a good plan.

"_How were we able to talk to the Toraji anyways? Idris said that I could only speak with the Doctor with telepathy because of my Time Lady heritage."_

"_Ah yes. Well, the regular telepathy that comes _with_ being a Time Lady can only be used to communicate between yourself and the Doctor. But because of me and the Time Vortex, you can communicate with virtually any telepathic beings."_ Rose nodded again and looked around her.

When she tuned back into the conversation the Doctor was saying something about auxiliary engines.

"We don't have access from here." Said McDonnell. "The auxiliary controls are in the front of the ship."

"And there are 29 password sealed doors between us and them." Finished Orin. "And we'll never get there on time." Martha didn't seem put off by this at all. After travelling with the Doctor you learn that everything has a solution and to never give up.

"Couldn't you override the doors?" asked Martha.

"Nope." Orin answered. "Sealed closure means what it says, they're all deadlock sealed."

"So the sonic screwdriver's no use then." Noted Rose.

"Nothing's any use!" Orin seemed to be becoming frustrated. "We've got no engines, no time and no chance."

"Oh, listen to you!" the Doctor said. "Defeated before you even started! Where's your Dunkirk spirit?" he asked and then turned to McDonnell. "Who's got the door passwords?" he asked her.

"They're randomly generated." Riley put in. "I reckon I'd know most of them."

"Well then, Riley, you'd better get on it!" said Rose.

"Well, it's a two person job." He turned away and reached for something. "One to answer the questions," he reached up and grabbed a bag. "And one to carry this." Reaching up again for a clamp-like handle that opened the doors.

Seeing that brought a lump to Rose's throat as she remembered what happened last time they'd used clamps. Quickly she shook off the feeling and stepped a little closer to the Doctor.

Martha looked at the Doctor and Rose and saw that neither one of them looked inclined to help with the doors so she spoke up.

"I'll help you, make myself useful." She said. She took the clamp from Riley's hands and looked to Riley for an explanation.

"It's remotely controlled by the computer panel. That's why it needs two." He said looking straight at her.

"Oi." The Doctor said softly. Both Rose and Martha looked at him. He took Rose's hand in his and then looked over to Martha. "Be careful." Martha nodded.

"You too." She said, half ignoring Rose's presence and then made to follow Riley back out to the hall where the first door was shut.

"McDonnell, its Ashton." A voice said over the intercom. McDonnell rushed over to the panel and pushed a button.

"Where are you?" she asked. "Is Korwin with you?"

Instead of answering Ashton just said, "Get up to the med centre... now!" as soon as he said it McDonnell was rushing to do as she was told. The Doctor and Rose followed her down the path she took leaving Erina and Orin alone in the engineering room. They ran past Martha and Riley setting up the clamp to the computer.

"Impact in 34:31"

The Doctor, Rose and McDonnell arrived at the med centre to see a woman and a man restraining another man on a med table.

"Korwin, its Abi. Open your eyes, I need to take a look at you!" the woman said.

"'Korwin!" said McDonnell, rushing over to look at the restrained man. "What's happened? Is he okay?" Rose stayed a foot or two behind the Doctor in case she needed to speak with wolf again. He was preoccupied with looking at Korwin like everyone else.

"Help me! It's burning me!" shouted Korwin from where he lay.

"How long has he been like this?" the Doctor asked Abi. Without looking to see who was questioning her she answered.

"Ashton just brought him in." The Doctor whipped out his sonic screwdriver and ran it around Korwin's upper body and head.

"What are you doing?" McDonnell asked him.

"Stay back!" was all he said in return. There really wasn't a way to explain _what_ he was doing.

"Oh this is stupid! He's my husband." Said McDonnell. She walked over to where Korwin's head was and held it.

"And he's just sabotaged our ship." Said Ashton.

Rose blocked out the conversation and shut her eyes, just in case one of the crew members or the Doctor looked over. She needed to talk to the Toraji again.

"_Wolf, can you let it through my mind again."_

"_Sure, Rose, but you'll feel its pain."_ Wolf answered.

"_I figured that but I need to speak with it." _With that said, wolf let down her defences and the Toraji seemed to invade her mind. "_Toraji, it's Rose, remember me? Rose! _" It was hurting but as she was talking the pain lessened slightly.

"_Rose? Do you have my heart?_" the Toraji asked. _"__It hurts so much!"_ Rose could feel the anguish all throughout her body.

"_I haven't found it yet but I know it's in this ship that I'm on."_ Rose answered. "_I know it hurts, I can feel it, but are you in any way hurting any of the crew members on the ship that stole your heart?"_ the Toraji paused to think for a moment.

"_I believe one of them was looking into me and a part of me latched onto him. I can't control it but you should stay away from him__"_ it warned.

"_Why?"_ Rose asked. "_What's going to happen?"_

"_If you look into his eyes after he is fully possessed then you will be incinerated. Steer clear and you shall be fine.__"_ Rose was torn. That meant she couldn't help the captain's husband.

"_What about the man possessed? What will happen to him?"_

"_If he has been possessed... then he is already dead.__" _Rose felt her heart beating. Another person they couldn't save.

"_Alright,"_ said Rose, resigned to getting the Toraji its heart back as fast as possible. "_I have to go again so that I can get you your heart back. Be strong."_

"_Thank you Rose. Please hurry.__"_ The link was cut and Rose became aware of her surroundings. Once again she had fallen to the floor and the Doctor was in front of her, trying to get a reaction. Waiting a moment, for the gold to die, she kept her eyes closed. After a few seconds she opened them and saw the Doctor's face covered with worry.

"Rose." He said. "What's going on? Why do you keep collapsing?" she smiled at him again.

"Remember, when we were talking about what happened to me on the TARDIS, and I said that some conditions needed to be met before I could really tell you anything." She said, a little breathlessly. "Well this is one of those things where I can't exactly tell you."

The Doctor looked resigned but spoke anyway. "Alright, but I don't like it." She then looked up and noticed that McDonnell and the man – Ashton – were leaving and the Doctor saw this as well. He pulled her back up and turned towards Abi.

"Call us if there's news." He said while running out the door with Rose in tail. "Any questions?" he asked.

"Yeah." Said Abi, just as the Doctor and Rose turned the corner. "Who are you?"

"I'm the Doctor." He said poking his head back in and then left just as quickly.

* * *

><p>Thanks for reading and putting up with me. Questions, concerns and comments can be stated by clicking the review button at the end of the story. I always appreciate them and will take into consideration and ideas someone may have for the direction that the story is headed. As of now I really have no predetermined story line to go with so ideas would be great so I know what you guys want.<p>

Have a great week everyone.

Cheers! -Seeker


	5. You stole my heart, now give it back

Hey all! I meant to get this up earlier than this for all of you but recently I've had a massive onslaught of plot bunnies so I have like four other stories going right now. But I made it and here is your fifth installment of The Child of Time

Disclaimer: Yes. Yes, I definitely own everything having to do with doctor who which is why I write fanfiction -_-

_Italics indicate rose and wolf speaking telepathically._ _Underlined Italics indicate when the Toraji Sun speaks. **Bold underlined Italics indicate rogue pieces of the Toraji in Korwin and Ashton.**_ Regular thoughts to oneself are in normal font.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy.

Onto the Story:

* * *

><p><em>Last Time:<em>

"_Call us if there's news." He said while running out the door with Rose in tail. "Any questions?" he asked._

"_Yeah." Said Abi, just as the Doctor and Rose turned the corner. "Who are you?"_

"_I'm the Doctor." He said poking his head back in and then left just as quickly._

xXThe_Child_of_TimeXx

"Heat Shields: Failing, at 25%. Impact in 32:50."

Martha and Riley were at the first of the sealed doors and Riley was quickly typing a complex sequence into the computer.

"Hurry up, will you?" said Martha impatiently. She honestly didn't want to be with Riley, opening up doors, and leave Rose alone with the Doctor. Mind, there would be other people with them but that didn't matter to her.

"Alright." He answered. "Fix the clamp on." He motioned towards the door and Martha did as she was asked. When the clamp was attached, Riley started to type in the sequence necessary for overriding the Sealed Closure.

"What are you typing?" Martha asked, looking over her shoulder at him.

"This doors trip code; they answer to a random question set by the crew. Nine tours back, we got drunk, thought 'em up. Reckoning was if we're hijacked, we're the only ones who knew all the answers." He explained.

"So, you type in the right answer-" she began.

"Then this," He said, patting the computer. "Sends a remote post to the clamp. But we only get once chance per door. Get it wrong; the whole system freezes."

"Better not get it wrong then." Martha said.

"Okay." Riley said as the computer started to feed out the question. "'Date of S.S. Pentallian's first flight'. That's alright." He typed in the answer and then motioned again towards the door. "Go!" he said. Martha turned to the door and opened it with the clamp.

"Yes!" she squealed.

"28 more to go." Riley said, smiling. They both ran through the door onto the next.

xXThe_Child_of_TimeXx

The Doctor walked up to the nearest com attached to the wall with Rose in tow.

"Abi." He said. "How's Korwin doing? Any results from the bio scan?" the Doctor looked over at Rose who seemed anxious. She had been ever since she'd fallen to the ground in the med centre. He really didn't like the fact that she couldn't tell him anything.

"He's under heavy sedation." He heard back through the intercom. "I'm just trying to make sense of this data. Look, give me a couple minutes and I'll let you know." He nodded and then looked over at Rose again.

"Rose, are you okay?" he asked. He was worried about her but these 'conditions' she had talked about kept him from being assured of her wellness. It frustrated him to no end.

Rose looked at the Doctor and could see the worry in his features and gave him her best reassuring smile. "I'm brilliant." She said, echoing his answer whenever she asked the same question. The Doctor cocked an eyebrow and she laughed a bit. "Don't worry, Doctor, I really am fine. You don't need to worry about me."

"I know I don't." she heard him mutter. "But I want to." Her breath caught in her throat as the Doctor turned away and spoke through the intercom again; this time to Martha and Riley. The truth was that Rose was nervous because she knew that Korwin was dead and everyone was worrying about him. Abi might die if he woke up from sedation and she looked into his eyes. It would be yet another fatality. They couldn't lose anyone else.

Rose was putting some serious thought into 'accidentally' getting separated from the Doctor so she could go and restrain Korwin but then he wouldn't be of any use to the captain because he would be worrying about her.

She was caught between a rock and a hard place.

Listening to the conversation the Doctor was having with Martha. He was rapidly firing out an explanation about happy, prime and happy prime numbers. Honestly, she thought, what would they have done if the Doctor wasn't there to tell them the answer?

"Don't they teach recreational mathematics anymore?" he asked. Rose stifled a giggle. He could be such a dork sometimes. But he's my dork, she thought idly.

"We're through." Rose heard Martha say through the com.

"Keep moving, as fast as you can." The Doctor told her. "And Martha, be careful. There may be something else on board."

"Anytime you want to unnerve me, feel free." She heard Martha retort.

"Will do." The Doctor said, ignoring the blatant sarcasm.

"Impact in 30:50."

Rose pulled the Doctor over to where the captain, Orin, Erina and Ashton were working around a big table. As soon as the Doctor was within range, he started to go through the materials that were scattered across it.

"What are you doing, doctor?" asked McDonnell. The Doctor picked up a big chunk of wiring before placing it back onto the table.

"We need a backup in case they don't reach the auxiliaries in time. Come on, think! Resources; what have we got?"

"Doctor?" came Martha's voice over the com again. Rose saw the Doctor roll his eyes discreetly from his side.

"What is it now?" he asked irritably.

Not sensing the Doctor's ire Martha asked, "Who had the most number ones: Elvis Presley or the Beatles? That's free downloads."

"Elvis." He answered right away. "No!" he then shouted. "The Beatles. No, wait, um... ah." He started hitting the back of his head as if it would jostle the answers to the front. "Oh, that remix. Um, I don't know! I am a bit busy!"

Rose was thinking and she tuned out the Doctor's conversation again. She should know this; her mum was a big fan of them both. She closed her eyes to have a chat.

"_Wolf, is there any way that you can sort through some of my memories and find out the question."_ She asked.

"_Yes, Rose, what do you think I've been doing, ever since you started to think about it I've been looking and... Aha!"_ Wolf shouted and Rose cringed a bit. "_The answer is Elvis, now hurry up, we haven't got all day." _As usual, Rose waited a few seconds for the gold to die out before speaking.

"Martha!" she said.

"Yes?"

"The answer is Elvis. He had more number ones than the Beatles." The Doctor looked at her questioningly. She smiled at him lopsidedly.

"Are you sure?" she heard Martha ask.

"Yeah, mum was a big fan of them both. It's definitely Elvis."

"Impact in 28:50."

"Doctor. These readings are starting to scare me." Abi said over the com system.

"What do you mean?" he asked her.

"Korwin's body is changing," Came the frightened voice. "It's whole biological makeup... it's impossible." Abi's voice cut off and then they heard her voice again over the entire ship. "This is med centre. Urgent assistance requested. Urgent assistance!" upon hearing this, the Doctor turned to McDonnell.

"Stay here and keep working." He said. He grabbed Rose's hand and ran out the door, probably heading for the med centre.

Rose knew what was happening, but she needed to go with him and make sure he didn't get disintegrated. That was probably one thing that he couldn't get through with a regeneration. Something was happening with Korwin, he was waking up and the part of the Toraji that possessed him couldn't be controlled.

Maybe, she thought, I can talk some sense into it. As she ran behind the Doctor she spoke with Wolf.

"_When I speak to something else, do my eyes still glow?"_

"_Not necessarily, you could probably get two to three minutes without the glow but then it would come back. Don't do anything stupid Rose... be careful."_

"_Don't worry Wolf,"_ she replied. "_I will."_

"_**Burn with me.**_" said a voice over the com. It was overlapped like the Toraji so Rose assumed it was the piece possessing Korwin. She turned around when she heard footsteps and saw that the captain and Orin had followed her and the Doctor.

"Captain!" shouted Orin.

The Doctor ground to a halt and turned around to notice the captain as well as Orin. They both stopped where'd he'd stopped with Rose. "I told you to stay in engineering." He said.

"I only take orders form one person around here." Answered Orin and resumed his run towards the med centre. The rest of them followed him.

"Oh, is he always this cheery?" Rose quipped and she followed the Doctor, Orin and the captain. The Doctor turned his head around at her and smiled in response to her question. She smiled as well and then turned her attention back to running.

"_**Burn, with, me!**_" she heard possessed-Korwin say over the intercom again. A few seconds, after silence, they heard a female scream that could only mean bad things.

"Doctor what were those screams?" asked Martha.

"Never mind that, concentrate on those doors! You've got to keep moving forwards." He said as they all ran up a flight of stairs.

"Impact in 27:06."

The Doctor was feeling just as nervous as Martha. Screams were never good and judging by the voice they'd heard over the intercom... there was something seriously wrong.

They got the top of the stairs and pushed their way through strips of plastic hanging from the frame in a makeshift door. Orin went through first, then the captain and then the Doctor and Rose.

McDonnell looked at the med table that Korwin had been sedated on. "Korwin's gone." She stated. Orin looked around the room for any clues as to where Abi and Korwin might be and saw the charred silhouette of a person on the wall. Rose saw where he was looking and turned her gaze there as well.

When she saw the marks upon the wall she tugged at the Doctor's hand and he looked at her in question. She motioned over her shoulder and he, too, saw the marks.

"Oh my god... captain." Orin said lowly. McDonnell finally broke her gaze from the table and looked to where Orin was pointing. The Doctor started to walk over there and pulled Rose with him. "Tell me that's not Lerner."

The Doctor ran a finger over the scorch mark and rubbed it between his thumb and forefinger.

"Endothermic vaporisation." He said under his breath. "I've never seen one this ferocious." He paused for a second and then looked up. "'Burn with me'." He quoted, coming onto a realisation.

"That's what we heard Korwin say." Orin noted. McDonnell looked taken aback.

"What?" she asked. "You think – no way! Scannell tell him! Korwin is _not_ a killer! He can't vaporise people he's human." Rose looked at the woman with sympathy. It was hard to be told that the man you loved was killing people. She knew that it was hard for her to take in what the Doctor had done in the Time War but it had been necessary. This, though. This was different. This was cold blooded murder and McDonnell wouldn't accept it without stone cold proof.

The Doctor picked up the bio scan that had been run on Korwin. "These results... internal body temperature of 100 degrees. Body oxygen replaced by hydrogen?" he said incredulously. "You're husband hasn't been infected he's been overwhelmed." Rose walked up beside him and placed her hand on his arm. He stopped reading but the captain still snatched the results from his hand.

"These test results are wrong!" she said vehemently.

"What is it though?" he asked himself, ignoring the denial. "A parasite? A mutagenic virus that needs a host's body? But how did it get inside..?" he rambled on.

"Stop talking like he's some kind of _experiment!" _McDonnell said.

"Where's the ship been?" he said, once again ignoring the captain. Rose tried to get his attention before he really upset the captain with his obliviousness. But, still, he continued. "Have you made planet fall recently? Docked with any other vessels? Any sort of external contact _at all?_"

"What is this? An interrogation?" McDonnell interrupted.

"We've got to stop him before he kills again." The Doctor answered.

"Doctor." Rose said. He looked at her and saw a weird expression in her eyes.

"We're just a cargo ship." McDonnell said. The Doctor took a deep breath and let it out slowly. McDonnell turned away and ran her hands down her face.

"Doctor, if you'll give her a minute?" asked Orin. Apparently, everyone but the Doctor could tell she was half in grief and half dubious that it was even Korwin. The Doctor still hadn't turned away from Rose's gaze.

"Come on, Doctor. Give her a little bit of time. This is her _husband_ we're talking about." Realization crept into his eyes and his face softened some. He covered Rose's hand on his arm with his own and squeezed it gently. Rose smiled at him and squeezed back.

"I'm fine." She heard McDonnell say to Orin who was checking on her. "I need to warn the crew." And with that, McDonnell made her way from the room leaving the Doctor, Rose and Orin.

McDonnell spoke into a com that was right outside of the med centre.

"Everybody listen to me." She said. "Something has infected Korwin. We think-" she paused for a second and turned to the Doctor who gave her a small nod. "He killed Abi Lerner. None of you must go anywhere near him, is that clear?"

They heard an affirmative from Ashton who then spoke directly to Erina who was getting some parts and told her to get back quickly.

"Impact in 24:51."

After McDonnell notified the crew she walked back into the room and the Doctor was looking at the bio scan sheets again. She walked over and sat down on a small set of two or three steps that led to an elevated floor. She looked at the Doctor.

"Is the infection permanent, can you cure him?" she asked. Rose was looking at the sheets with the Doctor trying to figure out what they said. He lowered them and looked over at McDonnell and took a breath.

"I dunno." He answered shortly.

"Don't lie to me doctor. Eleven years we've been married, chose this ship together. It keeps me honest. So I don't want false hope." With that last sentence she'd enunciated each word clearly as if it would make him understand better.

Rose looked at her with sympathy.

The Doctor looked at her for a moment before answering. "The parasite's too aggressive. You're husband is gone." He said flatly. "There's no way back, I'm sorry." McDonnell swallowed and nodded. Rose walked over and sat down beside her, putting an arm around the captain's shoulders."

"Thank you." McDonnell whispered hoarsely. The Doctor still had some questions that he needed to ask and, well, strike while the iron is hot they say.

"Are you certain nothing happened to provoke this? Nobody's working on anything secret, because it's vital that you tell me." McDonnell was shaking her head.

"I know every inch of this ship; I know every detail of my crew's lives. There is nothing." The Doctor stared at her.

"Then why is this thing so interested in you?" Rose wondered aloud.

McDonnell looked at her. "I wish I knew." She stated.

xXThe_Child_of_TimeXx

Martha and Riley opened the door that lead to area 17. They'd been getting through doors fairly quickly with the questions being simple enough. Except for a couple that had taken a minute or two to think over. They ran over to the next console and Martha hooked up the clamp to the door.

"Doctor, we've made it to area seventeen." She said through the com.

"Keep going, you've got to get to area one and reboot those engines." They heard back.

xXThe_Child_of_TimeXx

Ashton was working in engineering when he heard Martha's announcement through the com system. He was waiting on Erina to come back with those parts that he needed. He heard the Doctor's reply and quickly got back to work on his assignment. Where is that girl, he asked himself.

A couple of second later he heard someone walking in the room and turned his head. He was about to say something, assuming it was Lessak, when he caught sight of boots. Men's boots. That definitely wasn't what Erina Lessak had been wearing earlier. In fact, they looked like Korwin's boots. Remembering the warning that McDonnell had just given them he tried to make himself inconspicuous and invisible. It didn't work.

Soon, his creeper was being pulled out from under the console he was wiring and he was staring up into the face – mask, rather – of Korwin. He gasped at the sight. Korwin reached down and grabbed his lapels, pulling him up, against his will. They were face to face and so he decided to try and talk some sense into him.

"Korwin," he started. "It's me! We're mates!"

"_**They are getting too far. We must share the light.**_" Came the overlapped voice of his friend. Korwin's gloved hands came to rest upon the side of his head. It burned. Ashton grasped at Korwin's wrists, trying to pry them from his face, trying to stop it from hurting. It wasn't happening. His eyes rolled back into his head as he moaned in pain.

Like a foreign entity was seeping its way into his subconscious.

xXThe_Child_of_TimeXx

Rose gasped. Her arm flew from McDonnell's shoulders to her own head.

Something was happening.

Like another piece of the Toraji was on board, like two different minds, both of the same origin. She could feel it all in her own mind, trying to take over, because these two conscious' could not be controlled, weren't as civil. She couldn't speak with them telepathically like she could with the Toraji. Her only real chance would be to talk face to face and that could be dangerous.

"_I'm sorry, Rose. They just appeared. I can stop them just give me a minute."_ Wolf said. Rose couldn't really speak, even through her mind, so she just sent a hum.

She needed to get the Toraji it's heart back quickly, before anyone else got hurt or worse... Before Wolf could totally eradicate the presence from her mind, she heard it talking. About McDonnell, about faults, about it burning. There was something else, something she couldn't put her finger on... and then she felt it, the rogue piece had killed again; poor, defenceless Erina. Why was it killing at random?

Without her own consent, she heard her voice speak. "It's your fault, Kath McDonnell. _It's entirely your fault_. It's hurting so badly and it's dying because of what _you_ did-" and then, like that, the voice was gone. Wolf got rid of it. But Rose's head still hurt. She had to get away and she needed to fix this.

The ache in her head was toned down to a dull droning and she took account of what kind of state she was in. Her fingers were ensnared in her hair and her eyes were closed firmly. Her knees had been drawn to her chest and she wasn't sitting on the stairs anymore, she was on a flat surface.

Another thing, somebody's hands were on her, checking her over.

"Rose?" she heard being called softly. "Rose?" Again, a familiar voice. A second later her mind – probably with some help from Wolf – connected to voice to a face; the Doctor's. She opened her eyes only to shut them right away. The light was painful. How long had her eyes been shut?

"Rose, are you alright?" the Doctor asked again. Without opening her eyes again, she nodded her head. Not entirely a lie. The droning was going away. Again, it was probably Wolf helping. Rose heard a sigh of relief from the Doctor and she sent a mental thanks to Wolf for dimming the pain. Slowly, she began to open her eyes and let them adjust to the light.

The Doctor was hovering over her with a relieved face, probably because she'd abated his worry about anything being wrong with her. There was, however, the usual questioning look that seemed permanently etched on his face since she'd been back. Along with the 'mystery' of what happened back on Pete's world.

She uncurled her right hand from her head and held it up for the Doctor. He looked at it for a minute and them seemed to get the point and hauled her to her feet. She stumbled a bit and he caught her, his left hand moving from her right to snaking around her waist to keep her up.

It didn't feel like he was going to let go any time soon.

"Hi." She said, getting de-ja vu from when they'd been in New New York. He shot a grin right back at her.

"Hello." He returned. "Are you going to tell me what happened?"

Rose looked at him. She regretted not telling him because she could help so much right now. She would help. She just needed to get away. But, the Doctor needed to know about Bad Wolf. Maybe, when they got back to the TARDIS, she would just out with it and see what happened. But for now, it needed to stay out of his knowing.

"I can't." she said solemnly. "I'm sorry." She rested her hand on his bicep and his face softened a bit and he shook his head.

"No, it's fine. No need for you to go apologizing. We were just-" he was cut off by Martha's frantic voice.

"Doctor! We're stuck in an escape pod in the area seventeen airlock. One of the crew's trying to jettison us. You've got to help us." Rose and the Doctor were standing beside the com.

"Why is this happening?" McDonnell asked from across the room.

"Stay here." The Doctor said in answer. "I mean it this time!" and with that, he grabbed Rose's hand and took off in a run. "Jumpstart those engines!" he called back over his shoulder.

Rose and the Doctor ran through halls, jumping over the door frames that jutted out from the ground. Rose was frantic; she needed to stop this rogue from killing anymore people. To do that, she would have to do something in front of the Doctor and risk him finding out. But she could speak with it for about three minutes before the glow came to her eyes. I guess I'll have to try, she thought to herself.

xXThe_Child_of_TimeXx

McDonnell and Orin ran from the med bay through to engineering, looking at all of the equipment.

"Ashton!" McDonnell yells once they get in the door.

Orin looks at all of the computers. "Someone's hacked all of the systems. I can't reroute the generators. There's no way I'm going to be able to jumpstart this ship!" he cried out, angrily and despondently. McDonnell watches as he kicks the table that hold everything and lets out a breath. "Who the hell did this?" she heard him ask. McDonnell looked around the room for anything that could help, not noticing Orin walk off.

A figure starts to walk through the smoke coming from a generator on her right. When the shape gets through the thick haze, her eyes widen considerably.

"Korwin?" she asks. He walks towards her and she starts to walk backwards, away from him. "What are you?" she asks again, getting no answer the first time. "Why are you killing my crew?" she was looking around for something, anything, she could use to defend herself. "What did you do to him?" The thing in front of her that was taking over her husband lifted a hand to the knob on the side of the welding mask he was wearing. "What have you done to my husband?"

McDonnell just kept rattling off question, not really expecting an answer and looking around her for a weapon of some sort. The figure suddenly stopped when she asked the last question. It took its hand off of the knob slightly and tilted its head.

"You recognize me." Not really a question, but a statement. Almost like the thing possessing him was losing control – or so she thought. "Korwin." She almost whispered. "You know me." Possessed-Korwin's hand began to lower from its place at the side of his head. "It's Kath." That time, she did whisper and shuddered a little bit as well. "Your wife." She finished.

"_**My wife?**_" said the overlapped voice. McDonnell nodded.

"That's right." She said. "You're still in there. I'm your wife."

Possessed-Korwin stared for a minute before answering. "_**It's your fault.**_" He rasped, mirroring the earlier words of Rose. The smile that had been slowly creeping across her face dropped immediately and she started to back up again.

XXThe_Child_of_TimeXx

The Doctor continued running and leaping with Rose hot on his tail. Soon they leapt through the frame to area seventeen and saw a man wearing a welding mask pushing buttons on a control pad outside of the room to the escape pod.

"That's enough!" the Doctor thundered.

The man stopped his process and turned his gaze to the new arrival.

"What do you want?" the Doctor asked. "Why this ship? Tell me!"

Instead of answering, the man cried out and started to swing his fist at the control panel but Rose ran over to grab his arm. She made sure to keep her eyes out of sight of the Doctor.

"Rose!" the Doctor cried and made to move forward but her voice stopped him.

"No, Doctor." She said calmly. "Stay back."

"But Rose," he argued.

"No! For once, please, listen to me." The possessed figure in her grasp seemed to be looking at them curiously. Rose could feel Wolf leaking some of her telepathic abilities into the rogue piece of the Toraji, so the possessed man was calm, for now.

Rose looked through the door window and saw Martha and Riley in the jettison and Riley was busy with typing in the code to override it's leaving.

"Listen to me." Rose said, turning back to the man. She figured it was Ashton because she could feel the piece in Korwin elsewhere. "We're here to help." She looked directly into his eyes, or as directly as she could with the visor in the way. "You don't need to kill anyone else, just let us help you." She knew that there was a chance it might not work but she needed to try. She could feel the part of it that allowed it to possess others trying to seep into her mind but it was nothing Wolf couldn't handle.

Rose lowered her voice. "I know what you need; I just need to find it." She really hoped the Doctor didn't hear that. Slowly, the figure started to nod and back away from Rose.

"_Rose, I talked with it, somewhat, and it knows where to find its heart. The piece inside Ashton can sense where it is and where to find it. Follow him."_ Rose nodded and did as Wolf said. "_It's also going to call the piece inside of Korwin so that there are no more fatalities."_

"_I understand."_ Rose replied and took the few steps over to where Ashton was. It was then that Riley put in the right code and unlocked the air lock and got out of the jettison. If I weren't here, Rose though, those two would be rocketing towards the Toraji. And the only way the Doctor could fix it... I don't want to think about it. Wolf hummed in agreement in her head.

"Rose." She heard the Doctor say weakly. "What are you doing? Where are you going?" she waited a second and then turned around and met his eyes.

"I'm going to set things straight. Don't worry about me, take Martha and Riley and make sure they get over to area one to start the auxiliary engines. You need to go back to McDonnell and Scannell, something about a jumpstart I believe you said." With that she turned around again and made to follow the possessed Ashton. Rose heard the door open behind her and heard Martha hug the Doctor.

"You saved us." Martha said. Rose stopped and turned around.

"Wait a second." She said quietly to the Toraji conscious and his stopped.

"No." The Doctor said, shaking his head and looking to where Rose was. "Rose saved you." She gave him a smile and walked over to him. After Martha let go, Rose hugged him too. After a minute, she pulled back and looked into his face. There was worry written all over it.

Rose smiled at him and moved her hand to his face, smoothing out his wrinkled eyebrows and then resting on his cheek. "Don't worry, I'm serious." She said. "I'll be fine." She mulled something over for a second before leaning in and kissing the opposite cheek, the one her hand wasn't on, and lingering for a few second more than was 'friendly'. She let go of the hug and saw a bit of red come over his cheek and that his mouth was hanging open slightly. Rose smiled to herself, proud that she could render the great Time Lord speechless. She gave him one last cheeky wink and turned to go her way.

Once Rose and the man had turned the corner, the Doctor still stood there, mouth hanging open like an idiot. Getting a hold of himself he coughed and turned to Martha and Riley.

"Wasn't that Ashton?" Riley asked, staring down the hall. Martha had a small frown on her face after watching the scene with Rose and the Doctor.

"I don't know." The Doctor replied, clearing his throat. "But you two need to get working on those doors again." He turned his gaze back to the hall. "I don't think you'll have to worry about him or Korwin again." Both Riley and Martha looked at the Doctor for an explanation of that but saw him walking back the way he came, back to engineering.

xXThe_Child_of_TimeXx

Rose walked down a hall, following this Ashton. She couldn't really call him possessed Ashton because technically, the man inside was gone. But she needed to call him something and just stuck with his name.

They made their way down some corridors she had seen earlier. The Ashton and Korwin pieces seemed to control the ship even though there was still crew.

"Impact in 17:05."

A few minutes later, after walking through endless halls, Rose decided to talk with the Toraji.

"_Wolf, can you open the link back up."_ She asked.

"_Sure. When we get back on the TARDIS, you and I are going to work nights so that you can learn how to control this, alright?"_ Rose nodded and felt the presence of the third conscious in her head that was quickly becoming familiar; however the onslaught of pain and other emotions didn't come with it this time. All Rose heard were the desperate cries of the pained sun.

"_Toraji?"_ Rose started. "_We're close to getting your heart back. Don't worry."_ The cries stopped and listened while Rose spoke.

"_Rose?_" the Toraji asked. Rose sent a mental nod back. The heard cries again but this time they were happy. "_Thank the gods. I was worried you wouldn't be able to help me._"

"_You don't need to worry anymore. The pieces that possess two of the crew members of this ship are leading me to where your heart is being stored. I'll probably have to vent it out of the engines but you'll get it back soon._" Rose felt a nod.

"_Thank you so much, Rose. I would have burned up within the day had you not been there. My people owe you._" Rose shook her head.

"_You don't owe me anything. Your life was in peril, someone stole your heart. I'm just returning what's yours. It's what I do."_

"_Do you do it often? Help out distressed aliens?_" Rose laughed at that.

"_Yeah. My best mate and I travel the stars. Almost everywhere we go, something happens that we need to stop. Invasions, attacks. Usually we stop possessions as well but this time we couldn't without killing."_

Everything was silent, but when the Toraji spoke next it sounded remorseful. "_I am sorry that the men that got hurt, got hurt and that people died-_"

"_It really wasn't your fault. It seems to me like it's a defence mechanism. When something is threatening your life, you need to fight back. I understand; I do it every day."_ Rose felt another nod in her head.

"Impact in 12:55."

Rose looked around her and noticed that while she'd been talking they'd made it to a room and Korwin had joined them. They both had on the workers gloves and matching welding masks. She looked at them; they were standing there, staring at her.

"Well?" she asked. What were they doing?

"_**The one thing, on this ship, that we have no control over are the fuel stores.**_" Said Ashton.

"_**We heard you talking with our creator, every time, and we need you to release the heart.**_" Korwin finished. Rose nodded.

"Where is it?" she asked. They both pointed at one of the stores that were full and she walked over to it. "How do I release it?"

"_**We don't know. But we have faith.**_" Korwin said and Ashton nodded his agreement. "_**Right now we are holding the auxiliaries. Even if your friends got to them in time, they wouldn't be able to start them.**_" Rose gasped.

"But if I can release your heart, you'll start them up?" she asked hopefully.

"_**Yes, we will release the ship and let you fly free. Everyone lives.**_" Ashton stated.

"Except for the two you possessed." Rose muttered. So how do I open this, she asked herself.

"_Rose, remember back at Torchwood when we opened Mickey's door?"_ Wolf asked. Rose drew a blank but then realisation washed over her.

"_Can we do that? Hack into the system with you manipulating it?_"

"_We can."_ Wolf said with what Rose could only define as smugness.

"_Then let's do it."_ Rose put her hand over the computer and it glowed. She closed her eyes and concentrated really hard on what it was that she wanted to happen. Soon, beads of sweat were forming on her forehead as they hacked into the Pentallian's mainframe. Minutes passed and she took great care in making sure the only thing they dropped into the sentient sun was its heart.

Soon after, she heard a clicking, and the load dropped, releasing the piece of the Toraji that it was missing and Rose pulled her hand from the panel. Not before seeing how much time was left and if they had any other reserves so when the auxiliaries _did_ come on, they had fuel to get them out of there.

They did.

She let go and opened her eyes with a sigh of relief and turned to Ashton and Korwin. They regarded her fondly.

"_**Thank you, Bad Wolf. All will know you and your kindness, as well as your fury. For was it not you who decimated the dalek emperor?**_" Korwin asked. Rose's eyes softened at the use of her new name. It was great to hear it used.

"Yes, that was me. And it was no problem. You should go now, return to where you came from and live peacefully." They nodded to her before they both simultaneously took a deep breath and let it out, looking somewhat like the Doctor did on that day in satellite five. They exhaled an almost golden light and Rose saw it leave through the window. Both bodies slumped in front of her; she took their helmets off now that they weren't dangerous, and closed their respective eyes in respect.

After she'd finished, she left the room and made her way back through the ship to find the Doctor.

* * *

><p>And there it is! The fifth chapter, done and up! How was it? Alright? Tell me please. The next chapter might take a little longer only because, like I said, I'm working on those other stories... you may, however, get one of them while you wait for the next chapter of this.<p>

As for the anon who asked how many episodes and non-episode adventures I'm going to do, the answer is that I honestly have no clue. I'm just going to keep this story going to my heart's content. I will, however, warn you when there are only a couple chapters left before I end it.

Thanks again, happy belated valentines day, and have a great week.

Cheers! -Seeker


	6. A Revealing and a Riddle

Hey all! Sorry I'm late but the new update time will be around two weeks. Hopefully that will be at most. I had tons of school work to catch up on on the count of I was away from school for only a couple of days and aside from those days I had a lot to do. So, enough of that.

**Discalimer:** I think you should know by now that I don't own Doctor Who or any other sources of references I may casually make.

Onto your story:

* * *

><p>xXThe_Child_of_TimeXx<p>

_Last Time:_

"_Rose?_" the Toraji asked. Rose sent a mental nod back. The heard cries again but this time they were happy. "_Thank the gods. I was worried you wouldn't be able to help me._"

"_**Thank you, Bad Wolf. All will know you and your kindness, as well as your fury. For was it not you who decimated the dalek emperor?**_" Korwin asked. Rose's eyes softened at the use of her new name. It was great to hear it used.

After she'd finished, she left the room and made her way back through the ship to find the Doctor.

xXThe_Child_of_TimeXx

While Rose was away, dealing with whatever she was dealing with, the Doctor walked back to the engineering room. He'd left Martha and Riley behind and assumed that they'd get working on those deadlock-sealed doors. They did have an urgent need to get those auxiliaries up and running again.

While he continued down his path, the Doctor thought about those last few moments with Rose. She kissed me, he thought to himself, completely overcome with that little piece of information. Mind you, it wasn't a _kiss, _kiss but he'd think about that later. He was so deep in his thoughts about any other meanings of the action, that he would have tripped over the bottom part of the door frame if it hadn't been for McDonnell who'd just entered the room on the opposite side and called out his name.

He looked up and saw the somewhat worried look on her face and knew it couldn't be due to his almost falling.

"What's wrong captain?" he asked her once they were a few feet from each other.

She looked up at him. "I had a run in with Korwin." Her voice broke and she fell into him. The Doctor looked down in surprise. She started to cry and he just looked on in sympathy. After a few moments, the Doctor gave in to his awkwardness and wrapped his arms around McDonnell. He let her cries die out before pulling back and sending her a questioning look.

"What happened?"

"I talked to him, you know, tried to reason with him. It worked for a minute and he started to talk back to me. I said that I was his wife, which he repeated but then he said 'it's your fault' and advanced towards me. But then, a few seconds later, he just stopped. He turned and walked out of the room. Doctor?" she asked, looking back up at him. "That's not my husband anymore, is it?" she swiped at the tears in her eyes and backed away from him.

The Doctor dropped his hands. What is it with humans, he thought. We went over this earlier. I told her that it wasn't her husband. "No, captain." He answered aloud. "Your husband was gone the moment he was taken over. I'm sorry."

McDonnell nodded and turned to the wiring and machinery scattered around engineering. "So," she asked. "What have we got to do to get this done?" the Doctor walked up beside her and took a look at all the parts as well. Taking a breath, he began his usual explanation which then turned into a long rambling about some topic that was totally non-related.

After going back and forth between explanations and ramblings for about five minutes he felt something stir throughout the ship. Looking up into the air, at nothing, really, he felt something change within the ship. A few seconds passed and Martha's voice came over the intercom.

"Doctor, we're just outside of area one. Riley's inputting the code now."

"Good, keep moving and get those auxiliaries fired up." He turned to McDonnell who had a ghost of a smile on her face. "Nearly there." He commented. "We don't need the jumpstart any longer, lets head through, down to area one and meet up with the others." Where could Rose have gotten to, he asked himself. He hoped that they might run into her while heading down to the main area of the Pentallian.

He took McDonnell's elbow and led her from the room, pushing her before him through the door's frame. He let go and they both walked side-by-side down the twisting hallways.

When they passed through the door of area 12 he looked around. Down one of the halls that branched from their position, he saw Rose heading their way. He stopped and McDonnell kept walking before noticing his arrest.

"What's wrong, Doctor?" she asked him, slightly worried.

"Nothing, go on ahead without me, I'll meet up with you there." She looked at him and opened her mouth as if to argue but a look from the Doctor stopped it. She shrugged and continued on her way.

The Doctor only waited for a few seconds before he noticed an increase in Rose's pace and soon he had an armful of blonde. He swung her as much as he could in the confined space of the hall and then set her back down, though not letting go. He lowered his head to the space where her shoulder met her neck and took a deep breath. "You're okay." He mumbled into her shoulder. He could feel and increase in her heart rate and smiled a bit to himself.

Rose's left hand slid down to his shoulder and her right rose to his neck. She turned her head and burrowed into his chest where she felt safe. A small blush played on her cheeks but he couldn't see that.

"Of course I'm alright." She said. Rose was calmed by his double heartbeat. "I told you I would be, didn't I?" she asked.

He nodded into her shoulder and placed a kiss where the fabric of her shirt did not cover unconsciously. When he realized what he did, an intense blush rose to his cheeks but he didn't pull away in case she saw. Time Lords don't blush, he thought.

While the Doctor was busy being embarrassed, he didn't notice Rose's breath hitch or her increase of already-too-fast heartbeat. She thought of something she could say, anything. While thinking, she brought up images of the day she'd had and how the Doctor didn't seem as keen to shy away from displays of affection. That brought up another issue and, of course, that was the next thing to come out of her mouth.

"Doctor, when we get back to the TARDIS, I need to speak with you about something important. It's about Pete's world and what happened and I think you might be close to the condition." The Doctor drew away, only mildly startled. He'd thought there were multiple conditions, not just one. And then what she'd said hit home. She would finally tell him, he would – hopefully – be able to stop worrying about her. He just nodded to her and she grinned that grin that was so irresistible to him. He pulled her head a bit closer and placed yet another kiss on her forehead. Then he took her hand.

"Let's go down to the main control room, Martha and Riley have finally gotten down there. And thankfully with a few minutes left to spare." Rose nodded and squeezed his hand a bit when they started to walk down the hall.

xXThe_Child_of_TimeXx

Meanwhile, in the main area, Riley and Martha had gotten in and Riley was busy going through the mainframe, typing rapidly and inputting the codes to get the auxiliaries started up.

It only took about a minute but he finally stopped typing and they heard the choppy noise that grew smoother and a bit louder that meant the auxiliaries were up and running. The countdown to impact stopped and they were slowly, but surely, cruising away from the sun below. After a few seconds of relief, McDonnell strode into the room and saw them. Seeing their expressions, she, too, let out a sigh relief and smiled. It didn't quite reach her eyes but she was happy that Riley and Martha were okay and that they'd gotten the ship back online.

"You did it." McDonnell noted. Riley and Martha only nodded and smiled at the captain.

Minutes later, the Doctor and Rose walked into the room, laughing quietly between themselves. They stopped and took note of their surroundings. The Doctor didn't know how, but Rose had known that Martha and Riley had gotten the engines back online and so they hadn't been worried about it on their walk over. An ear-splitting grin adorned his face.

"Brilliant!" the Doctor exclaimed. He laughed and picked up Rose for another bout of twirling. It would seem that Riley got caught up in his enthusiasm for he had picked up Martha and was spinning her about the room as well, all the while laughing as he did so. McDonnell stood and watched the group of them with a sad smile on her face. They reminded her of herself and Korwin.

The Doctor noticed her expression and set Rose down. She looked at him in confusion and then noticed the sombre looking captain and waved him off. He sent her a grateful smile and walked over to the captain.

To McDonnell's surprise, he hugged her. She returned it gently and smiled to herself.

"I'm sorry," the Doctor said. "I'm so sorry." McDonnell shook her head into his shoulder.

"You have nothing to be sorry about, Doctor. You tried your best. You saved my ship, the last thing I truly have of my husband and you saved Riley and your friends." She pulled back. "I'd count that as a success." She smiled at him gratefully and he returned it in kind. He let go of her and walked back over to Rose.

Rose reached for his hand and he took it, entwining their fingers, a natural reaction for them. Martha and Riley had stopped celebrating and Martha was now looking over at the Doctor and Rose's linked hands disdainfully. They weren't looking at her so they didn't see the look on her face.

The Doctor pulled Rose over to the main computer and pushed some buttons. Rose knew what he was doing; he was venting all of that heat out of the vent chamber that the TARDIS was in so they could access it.

"There we go!" he said when the ventilation was up and running and turned to grin at Rose. "Time to go home." She gave him a soft smile and turned to Riley, Martha and the captain.

"Looks like it's time to leave." She said. McDonnell looked confused.

"How are you planning on leaving?" she asked. Rose looked at the Doctor who nodded in return. She then smiled at McDonnell and walked out the door, the Doctor in tow, beckoning what was left of the ship's crew and Martha along after her. They followed dutifully but somewhat confused as well. They were heading towards the interior of the ship. There was nothing there.

They walked along corridors and through doorways before finally coming to a stop outside of the ventilation room. Rose turned to look at the captain and Riley who were even more confused at their destination.

"Here we are." Rose said happily. When Riley stated the obvious – that they were outside of a room with only furnaces and pipes inside – Rose laughed. "Nope, for about 42 minutes there's been something else in that room. Hopefully she wasn't too hot in there." That statement, if possible, left the crew even more confused and Martha as well when Rose said 'she'.

The Doctor laughed at their expressions and started to open up the door. "No, Rose, I don't think she'd be too hot in there. Remember what I told you when you first saw her: the assembled hordes of Genghis Khan couldn't get through to her. A little bit of heat won't hurt." He pulled the door opened and motioned everyone through. They did so, albeit somewhat confusedly but they all piled in. Rose followed and the Doctor pulled the door over behind them, leaving it open a crack.

McDonnell and Riley were looking at the TARDIS with mixed expressions.

"Well." Said the Doctor. "Shall we go inside?" he hooked his arm with that of Rose and fished his key out of his pocket. He walked over to the TARDIS and inserted the key into the slot. Turning it, he pushed and the door opened while he led Rose in. The lights in the TARDIS brightened in welcome and the Doctor felt a hum of homecoming in his head. Little did he know, Rose felt one as well.

When he stepped inside he noticed that only Martha had followed him and popped his head back out.

"Coming?" he asked Riley and the captain. They both looked at the box that now held the Doctor and his two companions.

"Won't it be a bit... too close for comfort, in there?" asked Riley. The Doctor made a show of thinking it over and then answered the boy's question.

"Well, why don't you take a look? If you still think it'll be a bit condensed, you don't have to come in." McDonnell and Riley looked at each other and Riley shrugged. The Doctor pulled his head back inside and raised his eyebrows a bit at Rose and then dropped them.

Riley stepped over to the TARDIS and stood in front of the doors. One was open and he could see inside so he got a full view of the interior of the TARDIS.

"Captain." He said slowly. McDonnell stepped over to his side and her eyes widened at the sight before her. Mechanically, she stepped inside with Riley tailing after her. She took in the sight of the coral pillars and the floor grating. The time rotor really caught her attention though. She stared at it as did the man behind her.

"Welcome to the TARDIS." Rose said. "Stands for 'Time And Relative Dimensions In Space'." The Doctor stood next to her with a grin on his face and Martha stood a couple steps beside them, not looking too happy, but still welcoming.

"Still think it's a bit 'close for comfort', Mr. Vashtee?" the Doctor asked amusedly.

"We're in a box." Riley said. The Doctor nodded at him and Rose smiled. Martha nodded as well. "It's bigger on the inside." While he said that, the Doctor mouthed it with him causing Rose to laugh. Martha, again, didn't look too happy with their antics.

"What is it Doctor?" McDonnell asked, running her hand over the railing.

"This, captain, is my ship." The Doctor said fondly. When he said that, he overlapped the answer of 'home' from Rose and 'a machine' from Martha. The former made the Doctor smile until he heard the latter. Did Martha not understand the greatness that was the TARDIS? Did she really think that the TARDIS was just a machine? The Doctor really didn't like owing people. He shook his head at Martha and looked back to the newcomers.

"It's beautiful Doctor." McDonnell complimented. He smiled at her.

"Thank you, captain." He looked over at Rose who seemed to be thinking something over and then remembered what she asked him earlier. He turned back to McDonnell and Riley. "Sorry to cut this short, but we really must be off." He looked at the captain. "I'm truly sorry about the rest of your crew and your husband." He held up a hand when she tried to cut him off. "I know you said I have nothing to be sorry about but I am, truly. And Riley, I'm sorry about your friends." Riley nodded at him.

"Thank you, Doctor." He said. He motioned McDonnell to the door. "Goodbye." They both said and then they were gone. And then there were three, the Doctor thought.

He turned to his companions. "Well," he said, sending a look to Rose that he hoped she caught. "I think I'm going to go over to the library to rest. Keep yourselves occupied." He walked over to the console and set them adrift in the vortex. He nodded to his companions and walked from the room.

Rose and Martha looked at each other when he was gone, not sure what to say to each other. Rose had caught the look that the Doctor gave her and knew she was to follow him.

"I think I'm going over to the kitchen." Rose said to Martha.

"Alright." Martha replied, not really caring. Martha was planning to accompany the Doctor in the library. Thankfully Idris had taken measure to ensure that Martha wouldn't get to it.

Rose left the room, actually heading for the kitchen figuring that the Doctor might like a cuppa while she told him her news. That was _if_ he would first tell her he loved her. Rose had a plan and given the Doctor's recent actions she was almost sure he wouldn't run away from this conversation.

She got to the kitchen and put the kettle on, absently grabbing a banana and peeling it. She took a bite and spoke with Idris.

"_What do you think old girl? Will he learn my secret tonight?_"

"_**I'm sure he won't stray from the impending conversation, dear. Earlier, I couldn't tell you, but he resolved that if you brought it up he would stick with it because losing you either way would hurt.**__"_ Rose was confused.

"_What do you mean Idris?"_

"_**What I mean, is that when he lost you, before, to Pete's world, it hurt more than he ever thought it would. He figures now that he has you back, he's going to take full advantage of the second chance fate gave him. Before, he thought if he kept his distance that it wouldn't hurt when you left – either by choice or by force – but it didn't hurt any less. This time he wants you but he's not sure of the way you meant you loved him; as a brother, as a friend or as a lover. He just wants to be sure before he tells you this time.**__"_ Rose laughed but had some tears in her eyes.

"_He can be such an idiot sometimes and yet he claims that Time Lords are superior._" Rose and Idris shared a laugh which was when the kettle decided to whistle. Rose pulled two cups from the cupboard and grabbed the milk from the fridge. She went through the motions of making tea and then took the two cups in hand and left the kitchen.

She walked through the halls towards the library, bracing herself for the conversation she was about to have. She stepped into the library and grinned at the pool, shaking her head. Rose walked over to where the Doctor had a couple sofas positioned and saw him sitting and reading. His eyes, though, weren't scanning the page.

"_**He's just as nervous as you are Rosana.**__"_ Rose shook her head.

"_I highly doubt that, Idris. Maybe close, but not as much." _Idris laughed and Rose cleared her throat, announcing her presence to the Doctor who hurriedly put the book down, confirming her suspicion as he didn't mark the page.

Rose walked over and sat beside him on the couch, placing his tea on the table in front of him. He nodded gratefully and picked it up.

"So," the Doctor said after taking a sip. "This... condition?" Rose nodded and set her tea down.

"Doctor, there really is only one condition." He nodded, having figured that out on the Pentallian. "And it's not really an action as much as it is a confession." Now he looked confused but he motioned for her to continue. "What I want – what I need, is for you to tell me what you were going to say back on Bad Wolf Bay. That was the worst day of my life – I'd lost you and I thought I wouldn't get back – but now I have and... we have a chance." She looked into his eyes pleadingly. "So I need for you to tell me; to finish the end of that sentence." He stared back at her, unbelievingly. That was the condition for her to tell him? It seemed too easy, but then he thought about it.

Before, he'd always run from talks like this, from getting to emotionally attached. But last time, with Rose – amazing Rose – staying away hadn't lessened the hurt at all. So for this to be a condition, she had to love him as well or else she wouldn't ask. And that was what he was waiting for.

Rose saw the look in his eyes go from unbelieving to firm resolve. She didn't want to get her hopes up, but since when did her hopes ever care what she wanted? The Doctor put down his cup next to hers on the table and turned his body more to face her on the couch. He reached out and took both of her hand in his, while turning her to face him as well.

"Rose," he started. "This... is a big thing for me. You know this, right?" she nodded while staring into his expressive eyes. "Good." He said. "Then Rose Tyler, I love you." Rose let out a breath she hadn't even known she was holding and smiled at him.

"Quite right, too." Rose said jokingly. The Doctor laughed, but still held her eyes. "And I suppose, since you said it," she paused for dramatic effect. He shook his head at her in amusement. "I love you, too." She said softly. The Doctor, even through the minor shock he felt, leaned in and pressed his lips to hers and released her left hand to bring his right up to cup her face.

Rose just sat there for a moment, startled by the Doctor's actions. Even with the admission, she hadn't thought he would kiss her. She sat for a second and the she realized she hadn't responded and began to kiss him back, placing her free hand on his chest, over one of his hearts.

He pulled back and rested his head on her forehead. She opened her eyes to see his staring back at her with a glazed look. Rose smiled at him and he smiled back. He pulled away farther and took up his tea again. Rose laughed and grabbed hers as well. She sat back against the couch and the Doctor put his arm around her. Wow, she thought, he really is going to take full advantage of this.

The Doctor's expression turned serious and he remembered why they had been brought to that moment in the first place. He turned to Rose. "So, in Pete's world, what happened." Rose looked at him and smiled. She leaned back against his arm and laid her head on his shoulder. His hand fell and he absently began to stroke her hair.

Rose began her tale. She told him of all that had happened in the beginning, with the headaches, the time off and then going back. When she'd mentioned the pounding he'd looked at her strangely for a second but she knew it was because he was remembering Koschei. Maybe we can save him this time around, she'd thought to herself. Then she told him of what had happened almost as soon as she'd returned to work; the Usgaran and their knowing that she wasn't from that world and saying that they could help her.

"I've never heard of them." The Doctor said. "I've also never heard of the ability to read auras before." He looked sceptical at best but Rose kept on talking.

Unlike with Mickey, Pete, her mum and eleven, she actually told the Doctor about her choice in what she did with the Usgaran; that she'd chosen to die if it would return her to him. At that point, he'd pulled her onto his lap and buried his head in her shoulder. She could feel his tears but still he kept silent. She put her right hand over his left shoulder and traced patterns on his back as she spoke.

She finally came to the part about Bad Wolf and she'd feel his breathing catch. His grip on her had tightened but still he listened. She stopped her ministrations and just left her hand on his back. Rose didn't yet go into detail about what had happened with Bad Wolf just that she showed and helped Rose through the poisoning, thereby keeping her alive.

She had to ease him into it, didn't she?

Rose told him that Bad Wolf had helped purge the poison from her system and then skipped the part of her transformation, going right to Torchwood and then the estate. She only briefly went over her conversation with her family before deciding that before she told the rest of the story, she needed to tell him about her heritage.

"Doctor." She started. He looked up from where his head lay on her shoulder, his eyes still a bit misty. He just looked at her and she took that as permission to continue. "Saving me... wasn't the only thing that Bad Wolf did." The look of sadness in his eyes was pushed back slightly as intrigue settled in.

"What else did she do Rose?" he asked, his tone saying 'no matter what, it's alright'. Somehow, she doubted that sentiment, if only slightly.

"Well, before she eradicated the poison, Bad Wolf told me a few things about myself and about... who I am." The Doctor just continued to look her in the eye. "Doctor, I had to change." He just nodded, listening. "I'm not human, anymore."

That caught him by surprise.

"What?" he asked.

"I said, I'm not human anymore."

"Yes, but then, what are you?"

Rose turned from his gaze to look around the room. There were so many books, many of them from many different worlds and in many different languages. She knew from previous experience that there was a section devoted entirely to rare, ancient Gallifreyan texts. She had the entire history of Gallifrey and many of it's occupants and landscape all stored inside of her head now, but it would be nice to read them. She mental note to do just that and turned back to the Doctor. He had a somewhat impatient look in his eye now and she sighed.

"I'm part Time Vortex," the Doctor's eyes widened at that. If he's surprised about that... was the thought that flitted through her mind. "And part... part Time Lord." And with that, Rose was on the couch again and the Doctor was on his feet, paving the ground in front of her. Rose simply closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable explosion to come.

The Doctor paced with his right hand on his chin and his left under his right elbow, bracing it. He thought about this turn of events. Rose was a Time Lady! This was excellent news. But a part of his rational brain shook itself at the notion. Part of him said that this was completely impossible and the other half wanted to jump for joy! He couldn't decide what to do and so he thought.

Then a thought struck him. It was impossible for Rose to be here.

It was impossible when Rose took in the heart of the TARDIS and lived, even after the fact that he removed it.

The entire concept of Rose was a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. But she defied logic, escaped impossibilities and ignored impracticalities. Ever since they'd met it was once amazing feat after another; that amazing human girl – no – woman.

So why should this be any different, his logical mind was now asking. It didn't, was the answer and with that conclusion, a smile spread its way across his face.

Rose was now sitting kind of awkwardly. The Doctor hadn't said anything. Wasn't rambling under his breath. He was just... pacing! When he had stopped walking, she opened her eyes a crack and came face to face with a Doctor who had a wide-blown grin across his face. Suddenly, he was in her face, arms on either side of her. He leaned in a pecked her, once again, on the lips making the slight frown that marred her features to disappear.

"What?" she asked, grinning.

"You are brilliant, Rose Tyler!" he enunciated each word clearly, pecking a different place on her face after each word. She took his head in her hands and brought him to a stop, in front of her.

"Are you okay with this?" she asked him seriously.

"I'm brilliant! Do you know what this means." He'd started off loudly and then for the second half of his sentence he looked her straight in the eyes.

"Tell me." She said, not wanting to jump to conclusions.

"It means, Rose Tyler, that you," he leapt back and pointed exaggeratedly at her. "And me," he said pointing his thumb back at himself. "Can do this." She looked at him in confusion. That only lasted a mere moment before the Doctor's lips were once again on hers, kissing her passionately. She was amazed at the emotions she felt coming off of him in waves.

Her hands involuntarily moved up to tangle in his oh so unmanageable hair as she returned his enthusiasm. He held himself up in front of her, steadying himself by his hands on her waist so he wouldn't fall from where he stood.

When they came up for air, he looked at her again. "Forever." He finished. Rose almost didn't get what he meant and then remembered where he'd trailed off. He looked at her uncertainly. "I mean, if you want. Because, you might get tired of me, what with the whole of space and time at our disposal and your life span being very much elongated now and-" he was cut off when she kissed him again.

"Forever." came her reply. She smiled brilliantly and he returned it. He nodded at her and then retook his place beside her on the couch.

"So what happens now, what can you and Bad Wolf do?"

"Firstly, I can speak with your TARDIS. If my eyes ever start to give off that golden hue like they did back on satellite five then I'm speaking with her or Wolf." He looked at her in shock again.

"What do you mean you can speak with my TARDIS?" and then the rest of the sentence caught up with him. "What do you mean back on satellite five? And who's Wolf?"

Rose just smiled back at him. "I can speak with your TARDIS because her heart is made of the Time Vortex which, essentially, I am a part of. I can speak with her and she can reply. As for Wolf, well, the whole of Bad Wolf is compromised of myself and Wolf. Right now, Wolf is a second consciousness living in my mind. It's together that we are the Bad Wolf. She is building up my mind for what I will eventually have to bear on my own; the sight and knowledge that you have along with what comes with the Vortex. After a couple months, maybe longer if necessary, her voice will disappear from my head, integrating, but the defences, I guess you could call them, will still be in place. Or else I would burn.

"And that brings us to satellite five. When Wolf and I merged, what my mind couldn't take in on that day was returned to me and so I remember what happened." Rose looked at the Doctor and leaned over and kissed him. "You saved me, and for that I thank you." Rose could detect a small tinge of link in his cheeks.

"It was nothing compared to all of the times you'd saved me and you know it." He said.

"Nevertheless, you did and when you kissed me, taking the vortex, you also wiped the memory, or rather buried it deep in the recesses of my brain. It came out when I became what I am." The Doctor nodded in understanding. Then a thought occurred to him. Without thinking, he raised his hand to where her heart was and then the other to where her other heart should be.

The Doctor only found a single heartbeat and his brows drew in confusion. Rose's however, raised in amusement. She let out a small laugh and his eyes shot to hers.

"Where's your heartbeat?" he asked.

"It's there." She answered.

"I meant you're second heartbeat."

Rose laughed. "It's there." She answered again. The Doctor was about to object so Rose sent a mental nudge to the TARDIS to stop playing around. The perception filter that surrounded her heartbeat disappeared and the Doctor gasped, withdrawing his hands.

"How." He asked, looking into her eyes.

"Idris put a perception filter – like the one around the TARDIS – on just my heartbeat."

"Idris?" he asked.

"Yes, I believe you call her 'sexy'." Rose noted. The Doctor's eyes widened in surprised, choking on air before reclaiming himself. He looked at Rose and laughed. His laugh was contagious and soon they were both in fits. Not laughing because anything was necessarily funny, but because of their situation. It was simply ridiculous.

Soon they were both just lying on the couch. The Doctor had his back to the... well... back of the couch and his stomach to Rose's back. Their legs entwined and his right arm curled protectively over her midsection. They just lay there, taking each other in and enjoying the peace.

"So what happened in Pete's world after Bad Wolf." the Doctor asked, breaking the silence, curious.

"Wolf and I looked at the timeline here to see what would have happened had I not come back when I did and acted accordingly. Just in case it does happen, I won't go into detail but I will tell you that should things go the same way, we _will_ have back up." The Doctor nodded into her head, breathing in her scent. She smelled of strawberries and had the distinct aroma of time. It was so strong on her that he paused to take it in.

"After ensuring that we would have the help that we needed, Wolf and I crossed through the void and ended up in this reality." She continued.

"And here you are." He cut in. She smiled, a little bit mischievously, and turned in his arms so they were front and front.

"Not exactly." She said. His eyebrows rose to his hairline and tilted his head as much as he could with it laying on the couch

"Then what did you do first?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing. I just met your next self and his companions." Now his eyebrows were even more gone and his mouth hung open a bit. She brought her hand up and shut his jaw. "Close your mouth, you'll catch flies." She said calmly.

"What do you mean you met my next self? Rose! You can't tell me that. I-"

"I can tell you that. And I'll tell you why; because what happened with that version of you won't come to pass with _you_. And I'll damn well make sure of it myself. He was happy, sure, but when I saw his eyes they were full of sadness and age beyond even your years. Doctor, the eleventh you had experienced so much pain and suffering... I never want you to have to go through that." The raw emotion that the Doctor heard in Rose's voice softened his old hearts. He saw her eyes were a bit teary and suspected that his were too. She was always looking after him.

He wouldn't lose her again. Not because it would hurt him, but because he never wanted her to hurt or to be sad. Nothing would touch her and he said as much.

"Thank you, Doctor." She said with a small smile. He nodded. "But that's a two way street. And nothing will ever happen to you, you got that?" she said. The Doctor returned her small smile and leaned forward to give her a quick kiss.

"I got it." He answered, pulling back.

"Good." Rose said. And she knew, as long as they stuck together they would be alright. No matter what the universe threw at them, they would make it through together.

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><p>And there we have it. What did you think? Questions, comments, concerns? If you liked it, please hit the nice 'review' button below this script and tell me, I'd really appreciate it. Again, like I stated before, update time will be extended to two weeks but your next chapter I have planned to be done for the Sunday after the March Break (18th).<p>

I really appreciate all of those who take time out of their lives to review for little ol' me. It gets me right here *pats heart* it really does.

Thanks again for putting up with me and I hope to hear form you all.

Later and cheers! -Seeker


	7. Talks of a Family

Hey everybody! Finally finished another chapter for you all. I know a lot of you may not have gotten the last update email and that had to do with something being wrong with my account. But I've just changed my email and everything seems A-OK so I hope you all get this one.

Disclaimer: I definitely don't not own nothing belonging to the BBC. I hope that that was clear.

_Italics_ are Wolf and Rose conversing, like usual. I'm not sure Idris has any speaking parts in this but if she does then she speaks in **_bolded italics_**. I'm sure that's it and if it isn't you should still be able to figure out what's going on.

So, here's you're chapter and I hope you enjoy.

Ta!

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><p>xXThe_Child_of_TimeXx<p>

Far away from our Solar System – light-years away even – there sat a small planet. This planet was smaller than our Pluto if a comparison was needed. It was so remote in its galactic system that even major space adventurers or explorers didn't know about it. The only time it ever got visitors was when someone crashed into it or on the slight chance that someone actually saw it and decided to pop in for a visit or an exploration. The people of this planet preferred it that way for they lived peaceful lives not worrying about the invasions or troubles that the rest of the universe faced. They didn't use any currency for items they needed, they were just granted it, so there were no thieves. Firearms and weapons were outlawed and so there was no fighting. Mind you, there were only about 500 people on this planet at any one time. Its name was Cessabit.

The Cessabitians were all acquainted with one another, _friendly_ with one another. Almost like pacifists, though if it came to defending themselves from attack they would not hesitate. It didn't bode well for someone to warn their enemy that they could take them on, they'd just react accordingly. They were also known to have extraordinary senses. They could tell if something was about to hit them like a falling object or maybe a toy accidentally misdirected by its youth. Sometimes, though rarely, one Cessabitian would even be known to have short-sighted prophecy. They could see what would happen to someone, including themselves, up to a day before it happened.

The Elders of Cessabit, though, were a different story. No one knew for sure how old they were only that they had been living for as long as anyone could remember. People rarely saw them unless they sought guidance or if they decided to leave their shelter and visit their people. It was known that The Elders had a much more developed version of what their seers had; they sometimes went into a trance and would spout prophecies and so they kept paper near them in case such an event occurred. That's why they stayed within the confines of their hilltop house most of the time.

The oldest Elder of Cessabit was more reclusive than the rest. He only came out of the house when absolutely necessary and no one knew why. At least the others kept up to date with the happenings around their planet. He'd been alive for countless generations and every single person on the planet knew it. The only time he really left his sanctuary was once every second generation or so to take an apprentice. No one knew anything about his young apprentices or why he even took them on other than the fact that they all had some deviation of the Cessabitian short-range prophecy. No one even knew what he trained them for; they all assumed it was to harness their gifts, because when their training was done, they all left their luscious and beautiful planet. All had yet to return. It was one day, when The Elders were gathered for supper did something happen.

In total, The Elders were twelve in number.

First there was Brie, the youngest and newest addition to their home. He was well built, like all Cessabitians were, and had chocolate brown hair. His eyes shone with the golden shade of yellow that made up the bark on the trees of Cessabit. Brie was 143 earth years old.

Beside Brie, to the left, sat Topher and Lex. They were brothers who had both been born with the sight in them. It was a rare occurrence for even one child to have it let alone siblings. They both had sandy coloured hair and light, purple eyes that reflected the colour of the sky above. Topher was 251 and Lex, 249.

Next to them sat one of two females in the group. She was called Faye, and had long, ebony hair that cascaded past her shoulders. Her eyes clashed with her hair in that they, in turn, took on the colour of the bright, azure grass and tree leaves. She was the same age as Topher.

The other female was called Lise; she sat to the right of Brie. She as well had sandy coloured hair but her eyes took on a deeper purple than those of Topher and Lex. Lise was aged between Brie and Lex at 197 years.

Next to her sat Zeke. Again, he had the same build as all Cessabitians but his hair took on a fair colour between red and blonde. That colour of hair was revered on Cessabit because of its rarity. All of those born with reddish hair had the gift of long ranged prophecy they had found and most were taken by the Elders once they felt they were old enough. His eyes were a mix of light brown and green and were also scattered with flecks of gold. He was 316.

Next to Zeke was Seph. Seph had lighter coloured hair than Faye. It was almost pepper-like in shade. His eyes were grey and smoky and had a vacant look about them. He was a serious man but he usually was just content to sit and listen. He was 308.

Next to Seph sat Max. Max had chestnut brown hair and the same coloured eyes as Zeke minus the golden flecks. His age sat at 273. Beside him there was Nile and Orin. They both had stark black hair and the same facial features. They were not brothers, nor related in anyway, yet the similarities between the two left others nonplussed. The only way to tell the difference between them was their eye colour. Nile's eyes were both different colours. One was the pale purple of the sky and the other was the blue of the grass. Orin's eyes were green and bright. They were both 252.

Lastly there was Ren. Ren, like Zeke, had red hair but his was like a beacon. It stood up on all sides and was impossible to tame. Next to the hermit Elder, as they called him sometimes, Ren was oldest at 487 years.

The oldest Elder wasn't at dinner that night. They called him the hermit because of his self-sentenced seclusion from the others. Zeno, his name was. No one knew how old he was or why he kept to himself, they just knew that he was an Elder.

All of the Elders present were chatting up a storm, talking about the weather and the people down on the mainland. They often called it the mainland only because they lived so high up on a hill. All talking ceased though when the doors banged open from a seemingly invisible force. The next thing that was heard was voices. Not the voice from any of the Elders but of someone else.

"Does the hermit have a new prodigy?" Topher whispered to his brother who shook his head in the negative.

"Not that I know of." Lex answered. They watched as Zeno walked calmly into the room with a young man walking behind him with a feel about him that seemed to radiate happiness.

"Boys." Zeno said in a no nonsense kind of voice. "This is Kai. He will be staying with us so treat him kindly." Zeno turned to walk out of the room, leaving Kai with the Elders. He took not two steps before he fell to a knee on the ground. Almost everyone was up in a flash. They all gathered around him, including the newcomer and all Zeno could hear was a cacophony of voices and questions. He took a deep breath before turning his head up to look them all in the eyes.

The dark blue eyes of Zeno stopped everyone talking at once. Kai looked at him oddly as did Brie. It was like a power had washed over them, calming and refraining them from asking any more questions. Zeno held up and arm and Faye and Lise hauled him to his feet.

"Are you alright, sir?" Ren asked once he was upright again. Zeno just waved a hand, dismissing his concern.

"I'm fine, I just-" he cut himself off and shook his head. He then shook off the hands of the two girls and stalked out of the room. Silence reigned in the room before Kai broke it.

"Is he normally like this?" he asked the others. They all turned their gazes on him and then to each other.

"We don't normally see him," said Nile, looking back at the now closed doors leading to Zeno's room. "But I guess, now that you're here, we may be seeing him just a little bit more." Seph nodded next to him. They all sighed and sat back down, setting another place at the table for Kai, and continued with their meal, unaware of what actually happened with Zeno.

Back in his room, the man of conversation closed his solid wood doors and then leaned his forehead against them, letting out a heavy breath. He stood there for a minute or so before turning around and slumping his back against the door. Zeno looked around his room, all the paper that was scattered across a golden-wood desk that he'd had made a few generations back. He walked over to his desk and opened up the only drawer that was under lock and key. Once in, he moved the false bottom and drew up a prophecy he had made around the time that he'd commissioned the desk. In fact, it was just before he'd gotten the desk.

He looked over the paper then replaced it back in the drawer and locked it back up again. Zeno sat on his chair and ran a hand over his face.

"The time is drawing near." He said to himself with a half-hearted sigh. "I will need to train the boy, and fast."

Far across the universe and some time into the future, forgotten creatures shivered in trepidation at what was to come. They knew not what it was only that it had been foretold. Two words scattered everywhere.

Bad Wolf.

xXThe_Child_of_TimeXx

A ways away, on a different planet, about year or so behind the previous creatures in time, the sole being of a different race that could see, or rather, sense future events, was getting the same kind of feeling as the first. Only he shivered in excitement because of what he could sense.

Somehow, he had a sense of two different events that occurred at the same time, as had been happening for some while now, and had been looking forward to one of the forks as he had come to calling them. One led to many deaths and one led to the death of a few and the loss of one.

All of a sudden something happened to his senses; they went all wibbly. Suddenly there were many other forks that could happen, and many changed events that had already occurred to his knowledge.

Sigma looked up into the clear blue sky. "This is most interesting."

xXThe_Child_of_TimeXx

Three days.

That was exactly how long the TARDIS crew's peace lasted. Three days since the incident on the Pentallian, three days since the Doctor told Rose he loved her and she revealed her station as a Time Lady. They'd visited the beautiful beaches of Plagerus Four for a fun a day. The Doctor, of course, had spent the day, not swimming, but laying in the sand and casually checking out Rose in the bikini that the TARDIS had been so kind as to supply for her. The Doctor thought it a treat for both him and Rose. It was a nice dark red that complimented Rose. The Doctor just liked that Rose had decided on wearing so little and was having fun on the expansive beach, though he hadn't liked much of the looks she had gotten from some of the other males. He, himself, had decided against wearing his pinstripes and had chosen to wear a pair of shorts and a t-shirt that the old girl had chosen for him. His shirt had been a dark blue and matched the jean material his shorts were made of. He too had garnered the looks of many of the women on the beach but had paid them no heed.

The Doctor and Rose had both decided it was best not to tell Martha about Rose's news and had had Idris put the perception filter back over Rose's hearts.

The next two days had been spent on Plagerus Four's brother planet, Montagner Delta, scouting for a rare kind of creature that only made its habitat there. Of course, they hadn't found it because that was when danger struck. Something that the Doctor had called "The Family of Blood." As soon as the Doctor had sensed them, they'd come bursting through the tree line. The Doctor had grabbed Rose's hand and yelled "Run!" They'd taken off in a dead sprint. And this is where we are now.

xXThe_Child_of_TimeXx

The Doctor had a firm grasp of Rose's hand as they ran without stop or hesitation; dodging fallen trees and upturned roots. He had looked over his right shoulder to make sure that Martha had followed them and was close behind. She was but unfortunately so was the thick green smog that identified the Family about a hundred feet behind them.

"Come on!" he yelled back, urging his companions to run faster if they could manage.

Rose was confused with what was happening. Who, or what, was the Family? Was that the green cloud-like thing that followed behind them? And if so, why was it so dangerous. She decided to ask Wolf for the first time in a long while.

"_Wolf?"_ she asked.

"_Yes, Rose?"_

"_What, or who, is the Family? And why does the Doctor look so scared?"_ Wolf took the question and looked through the endless information she was cataloguing and organizing. Through barriers and walls she had constructed, to keep Rose's mind safe until it had developed, before she found the information she was looking for.

"_The Family of Blood are green, smoke-like entities as you can see behind you. They can control human bodies after they take refuge inside of them. Before they take a human body they are kept in small, spherical receptacles and only have a lifespan of three months."_ Wolf paused before continuing. "_If they took control of the Doctor... well that lifespan would be elongated by a _lot_ because of a Time Lord's near immortality_._ The Doctor is scared because if they see any of your faces it will be that much easier for them to track you because they'll know what you look like. _

"_They track by sense of smell of which theirs is incredible. They can find him through time and space just by his scent."_ Rose knew what she was talking about. Every time he hugged her, or, more recently, kissed her, she could smell the distinct scent of time on him. Rose didn't know how she knew what time smelled like, but on him... it was just so overwhelming. "_Right now, while you two are so close, they probably only think they found a single Time Lord... but soon they'll realize that they have two. It only makes the situation that much more dangerous."_ Rose nodded in resolve once Wolf finished talking. The Doctor caught the movement and looked at her with question in his eyes. Rose quickly squeezed his hand.

"They'll want me too." She said quickly and quietly. The Doctor looked taken aback for a second before nodding his assent. "They won't get either of us."

"Rose." He said slowly. "There's only one way we'll be able to-" she cut him off before he went any farther.

"No, Doctor." She said, shaking her head. "There's never only one way to do something. My being here is just further proof of that." He saw her eyes flash gold for a moment before her kind face turned into a glaring one as the colour faded. "And now I know of a way that will work better than what you're thinking of doing." She said a bit heatedly.

The Doctor looked dumbfounded. The glowing of her eyes further reminded him that he wasn't dealing with the old Rose anymore. This one was much more capable – not to say that when she wasn't Bad Wolf that shewas _in_capable – just that now she knew much more of what she was doing. Now she had a way to hide them from the Family without having to give up their minds? Rassilon, he loved this woman.

He nodded at her and then turned his attention back to running again and noticed that they were coming up on the TARDIS. Rose had already noticed and was fishing through her pocket for her key. After a couple of seconds patting down her pockets, she reached into one with her left hand and pulled it back out, holding the key. When they reached the TARDIS, Rose quickly unlocked the door and ushered the Doctor and Martha inside quickly.

Martha had only been a couple of seconds behind them but only a couple minutes behind her, a gaseous cloud was racing through the air.

"Get us into the Vortex!" Rose said aloud. The Doctor nodded to her and started to make his way to the console when the time rotor began to whir and the TARDIS flew herself out of Montagner Delta. The Doctor turned, wide-eyed, at the now smirking Rose.

Rose heard Idris laughing in her head and couldn't help laughing out loud herself. She stroked the wall adoringly. "Good girl." She said.

She walked over to the console and strode around it to sit herself on the jump seat. Meanwhile, the Doctor and Martha were just staring at her. The Doctor, however, was slightly shaking his head in admonishment, eyes alight. Martha's expression was one of confusion. Did she just get the TARDIS to fly... by asking it? Martha asked herself. How is that even possible?

Rose noticed the look she was getting form Martha and rolled her eyes subtly. There was definitely some jealousy in the older woman's eyes. "Doctor," Rose started. "Come 'ere a second will you?" the Doctor nodded and Idris, sensing Rose's intentions, sent Martha into a deep slumber. The woman dropped unceremoniously onto the grating of the floor causing the Doctor to look at her over his shoulder.

"She'll be fine." Rose said and patted the seat beside her. The Doctor nodded slowly and walked over to her.

"Alright." He said. He looked at her and she could just _see_ the questions in his eyes. "What did you mean earlier when you said you knew of a better way to escape the Family?" he paused. "And speaking of which, how did you even know what I was thinking of doing?" he looked back at her and into her eyes. She levelled her gaze with his. Unconsciously, though, her gaze drifted down his face only to rest on his lips as she ran her tongue over her own. She only realized what she was doing when a smile played on his mouth.

The Doctor dipped his head, bringing their lips together briefly before pulling back with a smile on his face. He loved that they could just do that whenever they wanted now. She returned his smile, looking back into his eyes again.

"Wolf told me about the Fob watches." Rose said. "And there is no way that you're going through that – no way that we're going through that."

"But Rose, it's the only way-"

"Did you not hear me back when we were running?" she asked him a bit hotly. "There's always more than one way. Besides," she said quickly when he opened his mouth to argue. If _you_ couldn't sense that I was a Time Lady, how could they?" she gave him her signature grin, waiting for him to catch on to her train of thought. When his eyes widened, she clasped her hands in front of her chest. "And he's got it!" she said jokingly. The Doctor turned a glare on her but the smile on his face ruined the effect.

"So the old girl can put a perception filter around me?"

"Of course she can!" Rose scoffed and the TARDIS' lights dimmed for a second, indicating the same sentiment as Rose. She crossed her arms and leaned back against the jump seat. The Doctor followed her and slung an arm around her shoulders. She unfolded her arms and burrowed into his side, a smile now on her face. This was one of those times where she could smell the _time_ on him.

"Why didn't I think of that?" the Doctor asked her. Rose turned her head and beamed up at him. She also brought up a hand and shook a finger at him condescendingly.

"Because. You lack that little bit of human creativity and inventiveness." She answered quite seriously before they both broke out into laughter. "But I should do something as Bad Wolf too." Rose said when they'd caught their breaths.

The Doctor furrowed his eyebrows. "What's that then?" he asked her.

"To mask our presences from them and maybe alter a few things about our appearances. Only our appearances though if they saw us which I'm going to assume that they didn't?" she phrased it as a question to which he nodded his head. "Good." Rose said. "Idris may be able to mask your hearts but she can't hide what we _feel_ like; at least, not to the Family. It'll only be for, oh, about three months right?" the Doctor nodded, once again astounded by the knowledge she held now.

"Yep." He said, popping the 'p' like he did with her.

"Right, so you'll let the big, bad wolf change you then?" she winked at him and he nodded. "Great." She said happily as she stood from the seat and motioned for him to do the same.

"What happened to Martha?" he asked, following her up, gripping both of her hands in his.

"Idris just sent her into a deep sleep and she won't wake until she lifts it." The Doctor couldn't help letting out a bark of laughter.

"The old girl can do anything." He said affectionately. Rose smiled.

"Alright, stand right in front of me." He followed her instruction. "Now, hands on my hips." She guided his hands there for him and then released them from her grasp.

"Rose Tyler, what_ are_ you doing?" he asked jokingly and winking suggestively. Rose smacked his chest but left her hands there because that's where they needed to be.

"I'm trying to make you comfortable for this; because I know you're still a bit uneasy about the entire Bad Wolf situation." The Doctor's smile fell a bit and he looked away. Rose moved one of her hands from his chest and cupped his cheek, turning his head back to face her again.

"It's all right," she continued. "I'm still coming to grips with a few things myself. We'll learn together, yeah?" He nodded and pulled her into a hug. Rose moved both of her arms to wrap around his neck and pull his head to her left shoulder. His arms wrapped more fully around her back and he inhaled deeply. She moved her left hand up to tangle in his hair and turned her head to kiss the side of his. They both closed their eyes for a moment before drawing back again.

Deciding on the best course of action, Rose drew him back to her in a kiss. The Doctor let out a noise from the back of his throat and parted Rose's mouth letting their tongues clash together.

"_Rose, do it now."_ Wolf whispered in her mind. Inwardly, Rose nodded and her hands, which had moved back to the Doctor's chest, began to glow.

In her mind, she imagined the two of them, side-by-side, (because she had to do this for both of them, not just the Doctor) and then thought them invisible to their enemies, or at least, their presences. In her head, both she and the Doctor glowed with a golden aura, though hers was much more pronounced, she could also see the green tinge around the edges. That's what I must have looked like to the Usgaran, Rose thought to herself. She imagined something akin to a force field around them both that hid them from enemy radar and dampened the golden beacons.

"_Rose, try doing the same thing but also imagine an evil presence within your mind. With that in mind, slightly change both of your appearances and that will cause your enemies, or anyone that wishes you harm, to see you differently."_ Wolf suggested. Rose agreed and went through the same process she just did only with the slight changes given to her by Wolf. For the evil presence, she imagined something like a big, black, intimidating aura around nothing in particular.

Once finished, Rose pulled back from the kiss and she almost immediately felt as though she were just pulsing with power. The Doctor was breathing heavily and leaned his head against hers. He opened his eyes only to gasp – whether in amazement or fright or both, he didn't really know – at what he saw.

Not only were Rose's hands glowing against his chest but her entire body was mirroring the effect. The Doctor moved his hands from where they were tangled in her hair to her upper arms and began to absently trace pointless patterns on them.

"Gee Rose, I didn't think I affected you this much." He said, his eyes shining in mirth. Rose smiled back at him but smacked him.

"Prat." She said. "I feel so alive. I've never used the power like this and it definitely feels... amazing. Breathtaking even." She looked up into his eyes.

"I thought that was just from the kiss." He joked again and she laughed. He was definitely much more open to things now that he knew that they could both live out their forevers together. "But seriously, like what?" he asked. "And what powers?" Rose smiled at the confusion in his features.

"Wolf and I can use the raw energy that surrounds us and harness it, control it, manipulating it to do things." Rose though for a second of a way to show him what she meant when she felt a rumbling in her stomach. That gave her an idea as she held out a hand and concentrated. The glow of her hand, still not having dissipated, only grew brighter.

"Rose, what are you-"

"Shh!" she said, keeping her eyes closed. "Just wait, I'm concentrating." Right after she said that, the Doctor saw something in the corner of his eye. When he shifted a little so he could see whatever it was better, he saw a banana, just hovering over to them. It continued its course and landed in Rose's upturned palm. She then turned to him and held it out in front of her, grinning broadly. The raw power of it just felt so amazing, like it was running through her veins.

"Oho! That is brilliant, that is. Absolutely amazing." The Doctor took the offered banana and peeled the skin back. Instead of taking a bite for himself, he offered it to Rose who gladly accepted it. After she had swallowed the sweet fruit, he kissed her, his mouth muffling the startled noise she made. He pulled back and made a satisfied noise.

"Mmm, banana mixed with Rose. I could definitely get used to that." He teased. Rose tried to glare at him, honestly she did, but it just wasn't that successful with the small smile that adorned her face and the faint blush that the Doctor could see under the golden glow that was only just beginning to fade.

"So what did you mean when you said you'd 'never used the power like that'?" he asked. Her smile widened as she began to focus once again on the thrum of power.

"Well, for one, no one can sense us anymore, just like I said I'd do." The Doctor nodded and motioned for her to continue. "And also, anyone that means us any harm will see us differently than what we look like." His eyes widened almost comically.

"You can actually do that?" he asked.

"I _did_ actually do that. But still we'll still probably need to lay low for those three months for the family to lose what energy they have." He nodded and they both sat back down on the jump seat.

"So, just to be clear," The Doctor started. "the old girl will hide our heartbeats and you basically made us invisible to anyone who wants to hurt us, have I got that right?" he asked. Rose nodded, smiling. "Have I told you today how much I love you?" Rose just kept smiling and shook her head.

"No, not today." She answered. Her face turned to mock-seriousness. "You should get right on that." Having said that, her face reverted right back into that silly grin she had only for him.

"I love you, Rose Tyler." The Doctor said to her. The sentence on its own made Rose ecstatic, the look on his face as he said it just made her shiver.

"And I, you, my Doctor." She said back. The Doctor could clearly see the love she held for him, painted in her eyes. He smiled at her and then their other companion made an appearance in his mind. The Doctor turned his gaze to where Martha still lay on the TARDIS grating.

"We should probably wake her now so we can find a suitable place to bunk down for the next three months." He said a bit dejectedly.

Rose noticed his tone. "Why did you ask her to come with you if you're bothered by her?" she asked him.

He looked her straight. "Right after Canary Wharf, and after I said goodbye, a woman called Donna sort of... appeared in the TARDIS. Long story, short is that her fiancée had been dosing her with Huon particles and an enemy that I had thought long gone came back. I had to get rid of it; I had to commit genocide." At this, his voice broke and Rose pulled him into a hug and his right arm found its way across her stomach while her right hand was rubbing his back. "If Donna hadn't been there to stop me, I would have probably died in the process. The underground was flooding and burning at the same time. Later, when the threat had passed, I asked Donna to travel with me and she refused. She said that it was scary out there and that was that. I didn't ask her twice, I never do – well, almost never." He looked at Rose who had a soft smile on her face. She nodded for him to continue. "We did however keep talking and eventually it ended up with her telling me I needed someone. I was still grieving from earlier in the day and so refused that I needed anyone. Again, she told me that I did, even if it was only to stop me sometimes. So when the hospital was abducted and I met Martha, she was smart enough that she wouldn't hold me back during an adventure. I took Donna's advice and asked Martha to come with me for one trip. One led to two, and then another. I was ready to take her home and we were there and then that lead to another adventure. When that was finished you came back to me." He finished.

"So it's not exactly that I'm bothered by her, because really, I'm not. But the so very human crush she has on me gets on my nerves." He looked her in the eyes again. "Even after you were gone I knew that I could never be with anyone like that ever again." Rose's eyes were glistening in tears, both from his story and that confession at the end. She nodded to him and then reached her head up, capturing him in a passionate kiss that left him breathless – that's saying something with his respiratory bypass system.

Her hands almost automatically went around his neck and threaded into his hair. His had found their way to her waist and his thumbs were running across the sliver of uncovered skin. Rose shivered at the touch and moved closer to the Doctor. She dropped her left hand fall down his back and her right only tangled itself farther into his amazingly soft hair.

It could have been a minute or an hour, but the two had no sense of time. They were so wrapped up in each other and in their kiss. Because of their Time Lord capabilities they had only rarely needed to break for air. When they ended the kiss they were both panting and had their foreheads resting against each other. Rose took in their position and once again found herself straddling the Doctor's lap. His hands were on her thighs and were tracing odd patterns on them.

"I think we got distracted... maybe." The Doctor said, cutting her from her thoughts. She looked at his faced and saw that it was flushed. Mine is probably the same, she thought. Then she realized what he'd said and gave him a smile.

"I think you're right. What are we going to tell Martha?"

The Doctor and Rose conversed for a few minutes, deciding what to tell their unconscious companion. They came to a decision and Rose got up from her place on the Doctor's lap. They both immediately felt cold but had to ignore it for the time being.

Rose sat back down on the jump seat and the Doctor got up but quickly leant back over to give her a peck on the lips.

"Ready?" he asked.

"When you are." She replied. The Doctor nodded and Rose told Idris to do it. Martha stirred on the ground and opened her eyes blearily. She blinked a few times before grumbling and placing her hand on her forehead. Martha propped herself up on her right arm and looked over to where the Doctor and Rose were both standing and sitting, respectively.

"What happened?" she asked.

"I'm not too sure." Came the Doctor's reply. "We were just about to talk about what came after us in the forest but you passed out. Are you alright." Thinking she sensed actual concern coming from the Doctor she smiled up at him and nodded once. "Good, then up you get. We've got to talk about what we're going to do about those aliens."

"Wait," Martha interrupted. "That green gas was an alien?"

"Alien_s_, plural." Rose piped up.

"Alright, so what _are_ we going to do about them? And what are they?" she asked.

"They're called the Family of Blood. Or just 'the Family', whatever works. They refer to each other as to their relationship and tack on 'of mine' at the end. Like the mother would be called "mother of mine" and likewise for the father, children, siblings, spouse, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, great grandparents, great great grandparents – well you get the point. They live off of energy." The Doctor paused to make sure that Martha was following along. When he got a nod, he continued. "Right now, we're in the Time Vortex but I can sense them. That either means that they have mastered time travel of they've stolen a vortex manipulator. My guess would be on the latter. They're going to follow us all throughout time and space, chasing us. So we need to hide."

"And how are we going to do that?" Martha asked. She noticed that Rose had been awfully quiet and wondered why she wasn't asking any questions. How long had she been out for? Had they already come to a plan themselves?

"Well, we're going to disguise ourselves and jump through time and space at random and see where we end up, make a life for ourselves where we go and stay put for three or so months." Martha nodded, agreeing with what he'd said. Suddenly she felt a headache come on and looked up to the Doctor.

"I think when I fell I may have hit my head really hard. I've got a splitting headache." She said, hoping he could do something to lessen it.

"Sorry." The Doctor said to her. "I don't keep aspirin on board. Time Lords are deathly allergic to the stuff. One dose could kill me. You'll need to sleep it off." Martha nodded at him and then got off of the floor finally. Before he could refuse, she stepped up and gave him a hug before saying good night and heading off to her room.

Once she was gone, the Doctor turned around and saw Rose smirking at him. She thought this was funny! He decided to wipe the smirk off of her face and held his hand up in front of him and advanced towards her. She looked confused for a second before her eyes widened and she began to shake her head furiously.

During their kiss he had found several of Rose's ticklish spots and was now planning on using them against her. Without a word, Rose was up and out of the seat, running down the hallway, the Doctor following behind her. She was closing in on her room before deciding, instead, to go in the Doctor's. She quickly made for the door and opened it, running straight into the room and not closing the door behind her. The Doctor followed her in, shut the door and closed the last few steps between them, tickling her mercilessly from behind.

Rose was squirming in his arms whilst he tickled her hips. Both of his arms were around her so that he could keep her from getting away so his left hand was on her right hip and vice versa.

"Doc – Doctor! Stop!" she laughed. She was trying to escape but they tumbled onto the bed on their sides. The little bit of shock at falling halted the Doctor's ministrations allowing Rose to turn in his grip and start tickling him back. He started laughing and they began a war, trying to make the other give.

After an hour or so, they both passed out on the bed, the cover messed up around them but both in each others' arms.

The Doctor woke up for a minute and stared down at his love. He smiled and brought the covers up after ridding them both of their shoes. He settled back down and Rose cuddled into his side automatically which made him smile a bit wider. He put his arm around her and then closed his eyes, all thought of the Family had fled from their minds and the space had been filled with each other.

For tonight, that was just perfect for them.

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><p>So, what did you think? Liked it? Disliked it? Comments and concerns? Tell me about it by clicking the button below. Thank you very much and I would like to also thank those who checked my update and review anyways even though they didn't get the email.<p>

Hope you all had a lovely March break or will have one!

Cheers! -Seeker


	8. A Visit to 1913

Changed my name from addicted2thaseeker to BadWolfRisen. I liked it better, sorry for any confusion.

Oh my word, I am so sorry that I am so late in posting this. I really, really don't like the episode(s) and so it was somewhat hard to write to my liking. I didn't feel right in skipping it either. But I would just like to say **that** I have no intention of abandoning this story or putting it on hold. My head - when I read other fics - sometimes comes up with other ways a story could go or a completely different fic but using the same general idea. So you should all know that I have many a story in the works right now. This one definitely take priority but like I said, it was simply the chapter that was difficult to write.

Again, I am so very, very sorry for taking so long but I made this about as long as the first chapter so you would have more to read. Hopefully that somewhat makes up for my lack of posting.

I have no beta so please mind the mistakes. I check it over on my own but I'm not very good at self-editing. It's only later when I read it - after it's been posted - that I see any mistakes and then hit myself in the head for being to stupid.

Rose and Wolf mind-speak is in _italics_ as usual. The same with Idris; when she speaks it's in**_ bolded_**_** italics**._

__**Disclaimer**: I do not and never have owned Doctor Who. Anything you recognize is not mine. The plot however, is, and I take full credit for mistakes.

On to the story.

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><p>xXThe_Child_of_TimeXx<p>

Rose awoke in the morning – or what she assumed was the morning, time was relative in the TARDIS and the Doctor didn't have a clock – curled into the sleeping form of the Doctor. Her back was against his chest, his left arm slung almost protectively over her stomach and their legs entangled. Rose smiled at the domesticity of it. Slowly, she turned in his embrace, placing her palms against his chest, against the resting beat of his hearts. She looked up at his sleeping face.

He looks so peaceful like this, she commented passively in her head, like the weight of the world has fallen off of his shoulders.

"_**It has.**__"_ Rose started at the sudden intrusion of Idris' voice and felt Wolf nodding along with the statement. "_**Because of his choice in the Time War, the world fell upon his shoulders – the whole of **_**time and space **_**fell upon him to protect. Yes, he could leave them be, leave them to their own devices – the planets – but he doesn't because that's not who he is. When he's awake, he's constantly worrying about something or other, even now with the Family following you; almost as soon as he wakes up he'll be all over that problem. That's why he babbles so often, to distract himself from the danger of everything. That's also why he doesn't ramble on around you anymore. He knows he doesn't have to worry about you when you're around him, and sometimes even when you're not.**__"_ Rose settled her watery, golden gaze back on the Doctor. "_**The burden – no, I shouldn't say that – the **_**position **_**of protector disappears when he sleeps and more recently when you're around him, you calm him and make sure he does what he should and not what he wants. You mediate his actions. I haven't said it before, but I've wanted to; thank you, Rose Tyler, for helping my Doctor, for saving him when he was broody, and for staying with him despite the danger. For staying, even though he changed his face and even when it looked like he'd left you. Just... thank you.**__" _The lights inside of the Doctor's room dimmed some, indicating Idris' emotions.

"I wouldn't have missed any of it for the world." Rose whispered aloud. The Doctor stirred and his eyes fluttered open. He looked down at Rose and smiled, which dimmed a little when he noticed a couple of the many emotions he could see in her eyes. Among awe, love, admiration, devotion, faith, adoration, happiness and a small portion of surprise, he saw sadness and grief. He brought his hand that wasn't on her waist to her face and caught a few tears with the pad of his thumb.

"Why are you crying Rose? What's wrong, what's happened?" He tugged her into a hug, her arms automatically finding their place around his waist. She buried her head in his chest; she hadn't even noticed the tears streaking down her face.

"I love you." She mumbled into the patter of his hearts.

"I love you, too." He said, if a bit confusedly. "But what's wrong Rose? Tell me."

Rose pulled back a little bit and looked into his eyes, hers shining from the tears along with the utter devotion she felt for this man. Because really, to her, he wasn't just an alien with whom she travelled or a Big Shot Time Lord – you can practically hear the capitals – he was just the Doctor, and he was hers.

"Nothing, everything is fine," She said. "Everything is just... fine." She tilted her head up and kissed him. After a second, the Doctor pulled back.

"Well, yes. Everything's fine except my shirt. It's wet, Rose!" She looked at him with a cocked eyebrow and saw a little bit of mirth that danced its way through his eyes. She smiled with half of her mouth and shook her head at his childish outburst. She sat herself up, her left arm keeping her up. The Doctor followed her and leaned on his right.

"Were you planning on wearing the same jumper two days in a row, Doctor?" She asked in retaliation. The Doctor smirked.

"No Rose, in fact," The Doctor sat up more fully before crossing his arms at the bottom of his abdomen and pulling the jumper over his head, revealing his lean torso. "I'll just take it off now. It's a bit hot in here anyways. Don'tcha think, Rose?" Rose barely even heard the question, her gaze glued to his chest since the shirt was gone. It wasn't chiselled like a lot of men these days but Rose thought it perfect for her. His chest shook and she looked up at his face which was now laughing. Her cheeks reddened a bit at having been staring. He brought his lips to her ear and his arm went around her. "I think I win." He whispered. She shivered a little and pulled back before getting a mischievous grin on her face. His eyes widened a bit when her arms copied his previous movements of removing his shirt.

"No, I think you're right Doctor. It is a bit hot in here. I'll have to ask Idris to cool it down a bit next time. For now I think the removal of a piece of clothing is a good choice; so much faster than cooling a room. I only hope that it doesn't get too hot or our whole top layers might have to come off!" Rose threw her arms up and the Doctor's eyes followed her now only partly covered chest. She let her arms fall to her sides and then pushed to doctor back onto the bed and hovered over him, her hair falling around her head and skimming his face. "But do you know, Doctor, what I really want? Right now?" She asked him, lowering her face until they were a breath apart.

"What's that?" He asked a bit throatily. Rose once again copied his earlier movement by moving her lips to his ear.

"Breakfast." She jumped up off the bed and out the door, crossing the hall to her own room and running inside, all the while she was laughing. The Doctor lay semi-confused on the bed wondering what just happened. He let out a long breath and then rose to change his clothes for the day. He opened his closet and picked out one of his many dark brown pinstriped suits. He pulled out a white jumper and slid it on before sliding his pants off and pulling the new pair on. He slipped his arms into his suit jacket and did up the buttons. He picked out a pair of faded red chucks and did them up on his feet. When he was dressed he took a last look at the room before turning and walking out the door that Rose had left only minutes before.

When he exited the room, he turned, closed the door, spun back around and saw Rose coming out of her own room, trying to do so silently. And backwards. He smiled and walked over to where she was backing out of her room and pulled her back into him. She yelped.

"That wasn't very nice Rose." He said huskily into her ear. Both of his arms were around her waist and one of her arms her holding them there. She reached her free hand up to grasp the back of his neck, leaning her head back into him.

"I know. But it was fun and I'm pretty sure I won." She said to him in the same tone he'd used. He spun her around in his arms and pushed her into the open doorframe. Her arms slipped around his shoulders as he grasped her waist. He pressed a leg between hers.

"I'm pretty sure you cheated." She smiled, her tongue catching between her teeth. He made a noise at the back of his throat and ducked his head, pressing kisses along her neck. Her fingers threaded into his hair when he kissed where her pulse was, her eyes fluttering closed. She felt his smirk against her neck but didn't care right now.

He moved to her lips and kissed her slowly first. After a few seconds he kissed her more fervently. She responded in kind and opened her lips, inviting him in. Their tongues clashed in a passionate kissed that seemed to go on and on.

Eventually it was broken by a startled gasp. They jumped apart and tried – and failed – to right their clothes. Martha stood at the intersection of two halls, several feet away from where the Doctor and Rose were standing. Her eyes were uncharacteristically wide and her mouth floundering. Rose averted her eyes to the ground and the Doctor spluttered for an explanation. He was saved that by Martha running back down the way she'd came. The Doctor moved to go after her but a hand on his arms from Rose stopped him.

"I should go. There is nothing you do to help save one thing I think you wouldn't do again." The Doctor looked confused and Rose rolled her eyes. Honestly, she thought inwardly. Wolf chuckled. "Doctor, I know you know that she fancies you but to her... I don't think she realizes that it's only that. The only thing you could do for her was tell her the things you tell me. And I don't think you're willing to do that." The Doctor nodded at her.

"Alright Rose, you're right. I can't do that with her. Actually, I've never done that with anyone else... save one person." Rose cocked her eyebrow. A small amount of laughter rumbled in his throat. "My granddaughter. But you're the first companion that I've ever opened up this much to. And I hope that you'll only ever be the only one." Rose nodded and smiled at him. He pecked her once on the lips and straightened out her hair some. "Go talk to her, I can't do it."

"Be right back then." She said before taking off in the direction Martha headed. She heard the Doctor call after her that he'd be in the console room. "_Where is she Idris?"_ She asked.

"_**Where you were headed earlier, before the Doctor... interrupted you.**_" Rose giggled.

"_It was a welcome interruption." _She assured Idris. Rose walked through the halls towards the kitchen. When she came to the door, she saw Martha sitting at the table with her face in her hands and her shoulders shaking.

"Martha?" The older woman didn't look up but her shoulders stopped for a second.

"Just go away." Rose heard her mumble into her hands. "I'm fine." Rose sighed and shook her head, walking over to the woman at the table. She pulled back a chair and sat down, watching, waiting. Eventually, Martha's face came out of her hands and turned to look at Rose. "Why are you here?" She asked disdainfully.

"I'm here to talk to you and because who else could you really go to with anything you're having a problem with here." Martha looked at her.

"I can't talk to you about it either because your one of the parties involved." Rose just nodded.

"I know that and that's why I'm here. You have a problem with me and you fancy the Doctor. Thing is, and you probably haven't even realized it yet, but it's only a passing fancy. One day, you'll wake up and you're going to wonder why you put up with it. You're going to wonder why you stay with all of the danger when you could be safe and at home with your family. You'll begin to wonder, 'what if something happens to me? My family would never find out,' and then you begin to wonder and doubt.

"Even before I came back, the Doctor wouldn't look at you and see you, he would see _through_ you. Even you must have realized that. And the only reason I know this is because that's what I've experienced.

"I met another of the Doctor's companions before. Her name was Sarah Jane Smith. At first, when she showed up, I was extremely jealous of her. She knew the Doctor before I had and I thought she was closer to him; thought she definitely knew more than I did about him. The Doctor put us in a situation where her and I needed to be alone with each other and we got in an argument, started comparing what we'd seen, what we'd _done_ with the Doctor. We realized that it was petty and foolish, and we had a good laugh about it at the Doctor's expense." Rose smiled in remembrance. "But the thing is, I realized, and she did too, that when the Doctor looked at her now, he never really looked_ at _her. He was always seeing what _could have_ been or what _had been_ but never what _was_. She brought up memories for him and that was what he saw.

"So I guess my whole point is that your whole thing with the Doctor will end, by either your volition or his, because eventually, he will get fed up of what you're trying to do. He doesn't get involved with his _friends_ like that." Rose stressed the point that she should just continue on as his friend. She didn't want to hurt the older woman, but eventually, something would happen and one of them would choose to leave the other.

"He got involved with you." Martha said shortly. Rose nodded.

"There are circumstances above you that have very recently occurred. The Doctor told you, yes, how a Time Lord's aging is next to nil in the physical manner?" Martha squinted at her for a moment before nodding. "Let's just say that while I was here, the Doctor and I... he was... broken, and I helped him get through that and I don't know what happened but we grew so close. When I was torn from this place, circumstance allowed for me to come back, but I've changed. It wasn't a choice I made lightly and I certainly don't regret it, but it's nothing to do with you." Rose looked into the older woman's eyes. "I have nothing against you, Martha, but if you keep acting as you have, I may grow to have some bad feelings. Please, just be his friend. That's all he wants, that's all I want. I know you want more, but it's not going to happen. Eventually, like I said, you'll realize this too and then – maybe – you'll look back and see how you're acting, and we'll have a good laugh." Martha, throughout Rose's speech had grown increasingly deflated. When she'd seen the Doctor and Rose in the hallway, snogging each other's brains out, she had been angry; angry and hurt and weary.

What Rose was saying though, the thing about the Doctor never really seeing _her_, was right. When she'd only just met him, she'd begun fancying him. He was smart and handsome and incredibly mouthy. But he never looked at her. Rose was right in saying that he was seeing through her. But still, her affections kept growing until she was determined to have him. When at first, he only spoke about Rose, she could see the hurt in his eyes and had jumped to conclusions that this 'Rose' had left him. And then those several days ago when this mysterious Rose had shown up she'd been angry when his attention had turned to her. Almost like she'd never left, never broken his heart the way she'd seen. Martha still assumed that Rose had left willingly, but now she was not so sure. If this Rose had not left the Doctor willingly and wasn't now only toying with his emotions, then maybe... _maybe_ she could let go. But first she needed to know.

"You didn't leave him of your own decision, did you?" Rose cocked an eyebrow and Martha hurried on. "I mean, when I met the Doctor, he talked about you almost all of the time, and even though I'd only just met him, I could see the hurt and the sadness in his eyes. I assumed that you'd up and left him. Even though I didn't _know_ you, I hated you because of what I _thought_ you did. The Doctor's a wonderful man; I learned that early on, so what else could I do, really? And then you show up here, out of the blue, and everything seems fine and dandy again. Going with my earlier sentiments and conclusions I thought you were toying with his hearts. But now, I think, I'm starting to see that you never left, not really. It wasn't you choice to go, nor was it his, was it?" Rose shook her head.

"No, it was neither of our choices. It seemed as though the world was against us. There was this battle at Canary Wharf-"

"I know, my cousin Adeola worked there. She was one of the casualties." Martha looked a tad downtrodden. Rose, despite herself, moved her hand over to cover one of Martha's. The older woman looked at her, surprise clearly written on her face.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Martha nodded. "Anyway, the Cybermen and the Daleks were out causing havoc, a few people from the alternate reality London that we call 'Pete's world' came here using what we called a dimension jump. The Torchwood in this universe who were holed up in Canary Wharf had been violating the breach between the world for sometime... do you remember the army of ghosts?" Martha nodded. "Those were the Cybermen, they were trying to break fully through, and with the last ghost shift, they did. A lot of things happened and it ended up with the Doctor and me activating the rift once more, pulling in anything that was covered in... Void stuff." Martha cocked an eyebrow. Rose smiled at the memory of the Doctor with his 3D glasses;

"_Isn't anyone going to ask what's with the glasses?" _

"_What is it with the glasses?" _

"_I can _see!_" _Rose laughed a little. "It's hard to explain but basically when we travelled through the void accidentally the first time, we got covered in this background radiation. It got more pronounced, coming back through the void again to this world. The Void, once open will pull in anything with even a bit of Void stuff on it. Since the Daleks and the Cybermen had been hiding in the void, they were covered in the stuff too. We turned on the generator, activated the magna-clamps on the walls – keeping us tethered – and the void opened. Daleks and Cybermen went rushing past us. I was almost pulled in when one of the levers had gone offline and when I tried to pull it back my fingers slipped. Luckily the man meant to be my dad from Pete's world came through right then, grabbed me, and took me through safely." Rose looked back to Martha. "So, no, I didn't leave of my own choice." Martha nodded to her.

"Then I can let go of him. I only wanted what was best for him, even though I've only known him for a little and I thought that you didn't deserve him. I guess my jealousy got away from me and I never really got to talk with you about it. I'm sorry Rose." Rose nodded and smiled at her.

"It's all forgiven Martha. Now, what do you want for breakfast?"

xXThe_Child_of_TimeXx

Breakfast had been a nice, but quiet, affair. The Doctor had joined the women in the kitchen when the tempting scent of cooking bacon had wafted into the console room. Rose had decided that because she didn't know where they were going to end up or how they were going to be living that she would cook a big breakfast for the three of them. Most likely, it would be the last big meal they would have for a while because when in hiding you couldn't stand out. If they were to have a breakfast – or any meal – like this often, then attention _may _be drawn to them, depending on where they were. So Rose had cooked bacon, sausages, eggs and black pudding. She'd also fried up some bread and, of course, put on a pot of tea.

When the Doctor had come into the room, his eyes had immediately sought out Rose's and she'd nodded at him as if to say "everything's been sorted," and went back to cooking up the wondrous breakfast. He'd then looked to Martha who smiled and tilted her head towards Rose making a go-on-then gesture. He nodded and smiled himself before walking up behind Rose and wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her cheek.

xXThe_Child_of_TimeXx

After the group had finished their hearty breakfast, they walked together to the console room. The Doctor bounded up the grating with Rose and Martha following steadily behind. The Doctor began pushing seemingly random buttons, twisting knobs and spinning wheels.

"So, where are we going Doctor?" Rose asked him, leaning against a pillar of coral.

"Well, first things first, I'm setting the co-ordinates to random and let the TARDIS bounce around from place to place for a while, hopefully throwing the Family off of our trail for a good amount of time. After about fifteen materializations we'll stay where we end up, sound good?" The Doctor turned to look at both of the girls.

"Sounds good to me." Martha said, leaning on the railing next to the jump seat. She straightened herself and walked over to the console. Rose mimicked her actions and stepped up beside the Doctor, taking his hand in hers. His fingers unconsciously tangled themselves together with her and she smiled up at him.

"Sounds fine to me too." The Doctor smiled to her and Martha before pulling down a lever, causing the TARDIS to make her familiar grating sound.

It was an hour or so later that Rose, Martha and the Doctor all stepped out of the TARDIS into what looked to be an abandoned house. They looked at each other questioningly before they all shrugged in unison and continued out the door. Thought not before the Doctor locked the TARDIS.

"I put her on emergency power so that the Family can't detect her." He'd said. "But if they do happen upon her, I don't want them getting inside."

"_**Good luck to you all, Rose, and tell the Doctor that I would never let anyone other than him and his friends inside anyways.**__"_ Rose sent a mental nod to Idris but refrained from saying anything to the Doctor until later.

They stepped out of the dark room, through a door that had light streaming through its windows, and were immediately buffeted by a cold wind. Rose's hair whipped around her face and the Doctor's coat flared behind him. A few strands of Martha's hair fell loose from her bun but otherwise she was no worse for wear.

"Well," said the Doctor. "Which way shall we head?" Rose and Martha looked at each other and then at the Doctor and shrugged.

"Wherever, let's just find somewhere to stay before deciding anything bigger." Rose said. Martha nodded, as did the Doctor. He took roses hand in his.

"Alright, then, let's go." And off they went. It wasn't long before they found a beaten trail that wound through a wooded area. They decided to follow it and soon realized that the path wound down a slight slope towards what looked like a school. It was fairly large, made of brown bricks and grey roofing. Several people, whom they assumed were students, were walking the grounds, probably trying to get to their next class. Upon further scrutiny they realized that all of the students that they saw were boys.

"1913." The Doctor said suddenly, his voice breaking through the quiet. They were about five minutes, yet, from the school. "From the looks of the uniforms and the build of the school, I'd gather we're sometime around 1913." The girls nodded and kept walking. When they were closer to the school they saw a wooden sign, engraved with the name of the school.

"The Farringham School for Boys." Rose read aloud. Right then, an older looking man, older than any they'd seen, stepped out of the building and made a beeline for them. The Doctor, Rose and Martha kept walking, not wanting to be rude and just stop to wait for the man to come to them.

"Hello." Said the man once he was closer. He was tall and lanky, slightly balding on his head. He wore circular, wire-rimmed spectacles and had a caterpillar of a moustache growing on his upper lip. He wore a black suit and a square patterned, navy blue tie. "How can I help you sir?" He asked, ignoring the women at the Doctor's side.

The Doctor opened his mouth to answer but it seemed as though the words caught in his throat, because his mouth went on to form an 'o' and he turned to Rose and Martha beseechingly, as if they'd have the answer.

"_He's hoping that the Doctor is a professor, Rose."_ Wolf piped in. Luckily, the man wasn't looking at Rose and didn't notice the golden sheen take over her normal, chocolate brown eyes. The Doctor, however, did.

"_How do you know?" _Rose asked.

"_His thoughts are quite loud. As I said a while back, Time Lords are telepathic. But his thoughts are so loud that anyone with any level of telepathic field would be able to pick them out. The reason you don't hear them is because they go through me first, which is also why you can't speak with the Doctor telepathically, yet. When I've done my job and your mind is safe; constructed properly to deal with the vortex then you will be able to hear anyone's thoughts when you want. You and the Doctor will most likely bond with each other and in that you will be able to form a mind link."_ Wolf explained. "_This man, his name is Rocastle; he is the headmaster of this school. And right now, he's missing a professor; history to be specific."_ Rose laughed in her head at the thought of the Doctor teaching history. He changes it often enough, aside from the fixed points, of course. The gold faded from Rose's eyes and the Doctor looked questioningly at her. Rose, almost imperceptibly to anyone who was not the Doctor, shook her head and sucked in a breath of air.

"Good morning, sir. This is John Smith, I am Rose Tyler and she is Martha Jones." Rose pointed out each person respectively as she named them. "John here is looking for work, he's a professor of history and we haven't had much luck. We were hoping that maybe you might have a job for him as well as for Martha and myself. And perhaps lodgings as well." The headmaster's eyes lit up at the mention of the Doctor being a history teacher, something that the man himself didn't fail to notice.

"Well, you're in luck then Mr. Smith. My name is Elwin Rocastle; I am the headmaster of the Farringham School for Boys that you see behind me. I have an opening for a history professor. You three can stay in the school's rooms. I'm sure we could find a place for your friend and... Help."

The Doctor's eyes widened when Rochester said help. And then he realized that this _was_ very early in the twentieth century and diversity wasn't a big thing. He looked apologetically at Martha who shrugged in a gesture he took to mean "what are you going to do?" before turning back to the headmaster and saying, "I accept. I hope you will have suitable jobs for Rose and Martha as well. I would hate to take advantage of your offer of room and board without paying you back."

"Nonsense, come, come, we'll get you settled." And so Martha, Rose and the Doctor followed the headmaster into what would be their hideout for the next three months.

The group were shown all around the school, each classroom, where the main office was and things of the sort. They were shown the infirmary where the headmaster commented that the nurse was probably out either collecting overdue books or seeing one of the boys in their dormitories. They would meet her later. Rose wondered why the school only had one nurse to which the headmaster had answered that she was never really overworked and so she didn't require any help.

Finally, Rocastle showed the Doctor to his room. It was very sizeable and had a door leading to another room off to the side. The floors were hardwood and polished. In the corner there was a small, single bed that looked not too comfortable. There was a desk on the opposite side of the bed which had a few books stacked on it as well as a few bookshelves not too far off. There were also two leather sofas, one of which had a desk table behind it for holding odds and ends. That couch sat in front of the fireplace.

"This, John, will be your room. Your lady friend's rooms will be across the hall. I have a few empty cleaning staff positions which I'm sure they'll be happy for." At this, Rose was just a tad miffed. They were right behind the man and he was acting like they weren't even people with their own opinions. She glowered at the man behind his back and saw Martha doing the same.

"Thank you headmaster, you didn't have to do this." The headmaster nodded and left the room, leaving the three to their own devices. The Doctor looked at Rose and Martha before letting out a sigh. "I'm sorry Rose, Martha, for you having to put up with this kind of treatment while we're here. But at least it's inconspicuous and we have lodgings, yes?" Rose grumbled a bit before nodding her assent and walking over to take the Doctor's hand.

"Fine." Martha said. "I'm going to go and take a look at where we'll be staying Rose, maybe take a better look around. I'll see you two later." Martha waved and left the room, closing the door behind her. The Doctor tugged Rose's hand and led them over to the bed. He sat down, a frown immediately marring his handsome features. Rose laughed lightly.

"Bed too hard?" She asked. He nodded and she smirked. She closed her eyes and held her free hand out towards the bed. It glowed for a second before the Doctor's seat softened. Rose dropped her hand and opened her eyes to see the look of astonishment in the Doctor's eyes. "I can't do that anymore unless you want them to find us, but I thought I'd do one last thing for you."

"You really can do just about anything, can't you?" Rose sniffed.

"Of course I can." He grinned and then laughed. It was infectious as soon, Rose was joining him in his amusement. She fell onto the bed next to him and leaned her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes and savouring the moment. "It's not going to be easy living here, is it?" She asked after several minutes.

"No, it's not. But we're here together. And you and I together?" He let out an amazed huff. "We can do anything, Rose Tyler. Getting through this little bump in the road will be no problem. No problem at all."

"Idris wished us all good luck. I'll miss the old girl while we're here." The Doctor nodded solemnly.

And so began the first day of their stay in 1913.

It was a month and a half later before any sign of the family showed up. The Doctor was surprised that they hadn't shown up earlier. It was Martha who had spotted something first; she'd been out with a friend she'd made on the cleaning staff, a woman called Jenny, when all of a sudden a green light shot through the sky and into, what they deduced to be, Cooper's field. Martha had immediately gone to look for the source of the alien light, Jenny following behind her, and had found nothing but an empty field.

When Martha had met Rose and the Doctor and Rose in his study that evening, she'd recounted what had happened and said she couldn't have really investigated anymore with Jenny there.

"It's a good thing you didn't." the Doctor had said. "You might have found the door and gotten into the ship. They'd have taken you over before you could realize what was happening and get out." Martha nodded and the three of them had decided not to investigate in case they were caught.

The next day, after dinner at around 6:30 pm, the Doctor had one of his students come to his study to get a book from him. In the time that they had been here, Rose and the Doctor had noticed something different about one Timothy Latimer. He seemed to have a low level telepathic field that allowed him slight telepathic abilities. They didn't want to approach him on this, only test his abilities. So today they were going to project some surprising thoughts about their lives and see if he gave any indication of hearing them.

So the Doctor moved around to the book shelves and began looking for his book that he would loan the boy all the while thinking when they could get out of this place and back to travelling time and space, really hard. He heard a slight gasp that his Time Lord senses picked up and hoped Rose, who was sitting in from of the fireplace reading a book, heard as well. On top of the Doctor, in his John Smith alias, teaching the history class, he had also been teaching Rose about Time Lord things she wouldn't be privy to until Wolf either (1) shared them with her, (2) allowed her to look or (3) was gone. One thing they had worked on was the enhanced senses and so, with that, she had heard the gasp from Tim as well.

When Rose had asked about being able to bond their minds so that they could speak wherever they were, he had blushed heavily, stammered and scratched the back of his head after nervously tugging his earlobe. Rose had felt the discomfort and had let him off for the moment, though she was slightly hurt, thinking he didn't want to bond with her. He'd quickly told her that it wasn't that, but that it was a very... specific, and permanent, thing they had to do, and had insisted on getting out of 1913 and into the privacy of the TARDIS before telling her.

And so, as Rose sat on the couch, she was thinking about these kinds of things as well as a few Gallifreyan customs, rituals and festivals, earning another small squeak from Tim.

The Doctor looked at Rose through a gap in the bookshelf and gave her a meaningful look. She nodded and stopped her thoughts, just concentrating on reading what she was holding.

The Doctor soon after, pulled the book he was looking for off of the shelf and walked over to Tim.

"Here you are Tim. But I was wondering if we could talk for a second." Tim nodded. "Excellent! Now, your marks aren't quite good enough." Tim only raised an eyebrow.

"I'm in the top ten of my class sir." He replied. The Doctor leaned back against the table at the back of the sofa Rose was sitting on.

"Now, be honest Timothy, you should be at the very top! You're a clever boy but you seem to be hiding it. And I know why; keeping your head low avoids the mockery of your classmates. But no man should ever hide himself." Tim looked at his shoes.

"Like you do." He muttered under his breath, thinking the man couldn't hear him. Rose closed her book and got out of her seat, walking over to the door of the study and closing it. She came back and stood beside the Doctor. The Doctor placed a hand on Tim's shoulder and lowered his voice slightly.

"Yes, Tim, like I do." The boy's gaze snapped up so fast that Rose thought he might snap his neck.

"I'm sorry sir, I shouldn't have..."

"Not to worry Tim. Rose and I were testing you today. You passed though I can't necessarily say that that's a good thing." Tim looked scared, like he would be punished for the disrespect he'd shown. The Doctor shook his head, sensing his fear. "Again, Tim, don't worry. We know about what you can do and I imagine you heard, or saw, some things about what we can do." He motioned to himself and Rose. Tim slowly nodded his head.

"What is it that I can do, sir? Sometimes I hear what people are thinking! Sometimes I see pictures or words; I've re-lived through nightmares that come from others' subconsciouses, been taken through dreams. Sometimes I see my own future, though it's riddled with shrapnel and debris. Like it's wartime." The Doctor smiled lightly.

"Tim, what you have is called a low level telepathic field. It allows you to hear what others are thinking hard upon..." The Doctor and Rose sat Tim down and talked to him about his abilities.

Outside of the Doctor's door, a little girl, fairly unassuming, was standing and holding a red balloon, listening to the conversation going on in the Doctor's study. Once she heard the level and topic of knowledge that this John Smith had she ran over to the staircase and ducked underneath where she couldn't be seen.

"_Mother of Mine, Father of Mine, Brother of Mine. I have located the Doctor. He's masquerading as a human; one, John Smith."_

"_He is the current history teacher."_ Brother of Mine inputted.

"_Though for some reason the scent is confused. I can tell that the teacher is the Doctor, but I cannot smell him. Nevertheless, we must arm ourselves. Activate the soldiers."_ Daughter of Mine said before leaving the little hidey-hole beneath the staircase and skipping through a pair of doors and out of the school.

Two hours later, when the sun was setting, the cavalry were lined up outside of the Farringham School. The headmaster was the first to notice this. Along with about ten scarecrows – which he assumed had living beings underneath them – stood Jeremy Baines; student at his school, Mr. Clark; the farmer from the nearby Oakham Farm, Lucy Cartwright; schoolgirl who lives in the village and one of the maids on his payroll; Jenny, he vaguely recalled.

Donning a long coat, he marched out of his office and out of the school. On his way out, he bumped into the Doctor, Rose and Martha.

"Where are you three headed?" Rocastle asked.

"Oh, just out for a wee stroll." The Doctor said with his hands in his pockets and shrugging his shoulders.

"Do you mind if I join you for a few minutes. There are some troublemakers outside and I wish to speak with them." The Doctor shook his head in the negative and so Rocastle joined the TARDIS trio in heading outside. Truthfully, they had seen the group of whom they assumed to be the family. Somehow they had figured out that John was the Doctor. No matter their disguises, Rose couldn't alter what others heard or that might make for a confusing time.

Inside, on the same side of the school as the headmaster and the Doctor and companions, was Tim. He saw the family and knew he should be a little bit intimidated by them. Despite that, and thanks to the talk he'd had earlier with Rose and the Doctor, he wasn't the least bit scared or frightened. He felt challenged; like he should be out there, helping to get rid of the people – or things – that threatened his school. He made up his mind and, ignoring the questions from his roommates, ran outside to do his part.

The Doctor, Rose, Martha and Rocastle stepped outside of the large front doors of Farringham.

"So Baines, and one of the cleaning staff – there's always a woman involved! Am I to gather that some practical joke has gone out of hand?" Rocastle immediately questioned.

"Headmaster, sir. Good evening sir. Come to give me a caning sir? Would you like that, sir?" Baines, or rather, Brother of Mine questioned. "And Doctor, so nice of you to join us. How are you this evening?"

"With a civil tongue, _boy_." Rocastle said.

"Now, come on everyone." Martha said, attempting to mediate. She didn't really like the headmaster but she didn't want him to get killed if this got out of hand. So she attempted to get the headmaster to at least go back inside and let the Doctor, Rose and herself handle this. "I suspect that alcohol's played its part in this. Let's all just... calm down." Brother of Mine's head cocked swiftly to the side as he regarded Martha.

"Who are these friends of yours Baines, in _fancy dress._" The headmaster asked.

"Do you like them sir, I made them myself. I'm ever so good at science sir. Look." Baines walked over to the side of one of the scarecrows and tore one of the arms off. He then cast his gaze back to the headmaster. "Molecular fringe animation. Fashioned in the shape of straw men, my own private army." He then looked back at the Doctor. "You understand, do you not, Doctor?"

"Now Baines, step apart from this company and come inside with me." Rocastle said.

"No, you sir, _you_, will send me the one you call John Smith." He pointed at the Doctor, whose hand slipped inside of his coat to grab the sonic. Rose saw this and took his free hand in hers. Martha missed both interactions and just stood, watching the family. They had all stayed quiet up until now, letting their brother and son do the talking.

As if a switch had been pulled when Baines finished his sentence, waves of scarecrows came out of the surrounding tree line. Now their number totalled around fifty, give or take.

"Come peacefully, _Mr. Smith_, and no harm will come to this school." Right then, Tim came running out of the school along with one of the boys who roomed with him and had decided to follow the younger boy.

"Tim!'" the Doctor yelled. When the family had seen the boys run out of the school, Father of Mine had raised what looked to be an atomizing gun. He fired it and Tim acted upon his instinct, ducking just in time for the boy behind him to be reduced to atoms. The Doctor turned a glare on the family.

"They are innocent people. Young children. Your choice just cost you your second chance." The Doctor pulled the sonic from his coat pocket and pointed it at the gun in all of their hands, causing them to spark and fly out of the grips holding them. "Headmaster Rocastle, please go inside."

"I warn you." Rocastle ignored the Doctor's plea. "The school is armed."

"All your little tin soldiers." Sister of Mine spoke up. "But tell me sir, will they thank you?"

"I'm afraid I don't understand."

"What do you know of history, sir? What do you know... of next year?" The alien in little Lucy asked.

"You're not making any sense, child."

"_1914,_" she enunciated carefully. "Sir. Because the Family has travelled far and wide looking for your Mr. Smith, and _oh_ the things we have seen. War is coming." She whispered, but loud enough so everyone heard. "In foreign fields, a war of the whole-wide-world; with all your boys falling down in the mud. Do you _think_ that they will_ thank_ the man who taught them it was_ glorious_?"

"Do not forget, girl, I have been a soldier. I was in South Africa; I used my dead mates for sand bags. I fought with the butt of my rifle when the bullets ran out and I will go back there tomorrow for _King and Country_!" Sister of Mine, who had walked up to the headmaster, turned around and walked back to her family.

"Etcetera, etcetera." She drawled. Tim moved up behind the Doctor.

"Are they who you talked to me about earlier? And the... things, that I caught a glimpse of in your head?" Tim whispered. The Doctor nodded and Tim schooled his features to those of resolve.

"Run along headmaster." Jenny said monotonously. "Run back to school. Do as the Doctor says."

"But at the end of all this." Baines said, turning all attention back on him. He crouched down to pick up a gun, the Doctor following his movements with the sonic. "We will have Mr. Smith!" Baines pointed the gun at the headmaster who turned tail and bolted back into the school.

The Doctor, however, stayed put along with his friends. "You will never have me." He said in a voice that could be linked with the Oncoming Storm. "And so long as you live and are harming people for their life energy, I will not grant you leave or slack. You have killed a young boy tonight, for no reason other than to scare us. As I said before." The Doctor looked at the Family with fury in his gaze. "No second chances." They all flinched but stayed put nonetheless.

Rose looked at them and turned her eyes gold yet black at the same time as she held the Doctor's sentiment. "No second chances." Her voice only slightly overlapped as Wolf put her thoughts in too.

Martha and Tim looked at the two of them before chorusing, "No second chances." The Doctor and Rose turned and walked towards the school, Martha and Tim following close behind.

"And if anyone else is harmed, I will make sure you get your wish to live for eternity, but not in the way you expect." The Doctor threw over his shoulder. He moved his hand from Rose's and wrapped it around her shoulder. Rose grabbed Martha's hand; the two had become close over the past month and a half; living in close quarters made sure of that. The Doctor put his free hand on one of Tim's shoulders and squeezed it in reassurance.

"I don't know why it is," he heard Baines shout. "But you don't smell like you should. What have you done?" the Doctor just ignored him and kept walking.

When the group entered the school, the headmaster had assembled all of the older boys and had them gearing up to fight the family and their animated army. The Doctor looked furious and strode over to the headmaster.

"What are you doing! These boys will be killed if they go out there."

"You heard and saw both what they want and have done Mr. Smith. If they want a fight, they will be given one." He regarded the Doctor for a moment. "Though they seemed to want you, for some reason I cannot fathom." The headmaster turned back to speaking with a couple of the teachers who had shown up.

"Let's go." The Doctor said to his companions and Tim. They walked away from the room where the young soldiers were gearing up. Once they arrived in an empty hallway the Doctor slumped against a wall, his head in his hands. Rose walked up to him and laid her hand on his shoulder.

"They'll die if they go out there. Rocastle doesn't realize..." Rose nodded, even though he couldn't see it. She trailed her hand from his shoulder to the back of his neck and pulled him closer to her, resting his head in the crook of her neck. His hands went around her waist.

Behind the two of them, Martha and Tim stood, her hand on around his shoulder. They stood close, watching their friends.

The Doctor breathed in deeply. "I'm going to have to go through with what told Baines – the thing inside of Baines." Rose leaned her head against his and nodded.

"Yeah."

"It's not going to be easy."

"It never is love." She said quietly.

"It's not fair!" He exclaimed suddenly. "Why do I always have to punish. Always have to extract justice. I give people chances, why don't they ever _listen!_ Why does it fall to me...?" He gripped Rose tighter and Rose did the same, both of her arms comfortingly placed around his shoulders.

"Because you're you, Doctor. It's why you chose your name; you help people, you make them better. You may have to punish people sometimes, but in doing so, you save so many. You've saved the whole of London from the Nestene Consciousness, the Autons, Sycorax and so many others. So many of them before me. You save the littler people, cities, planets, constellations and universes. Doctor, no one knows it but you mean so much, to so many different people. Never has so much been owed by so many to one man. You, Doctor, are an out of sight hero, unseen by those you save."

"Doctor." Timothy said. The Doctor didn't look at him but made a noise to acknowledge him. "When I see you with this gift that I have, I see you; I see the Oncoming Storm. And, you're like fire, and ice and rage. You're like the night, and the storm and the heart of the sun."

"Stop." Rose whispered when she felt the Doctor begin to tense.

"You are ancient and forever. You burn at the centre of time and can see the turn of the universe."

"Stop it Tim." Rose said a bit more forcefully.

"And you're wonderful, just as Rose is saying – just as she said. You help people; to heal, to grow and to learn. So you go and you do what you need to. Because, in the end, what would you choose? To let these creatures roam for eternity, finding a different energy every time they needed it? Or to stop them now and save the lives of those who would later be taken." Timm stood, staring at where the Doctor's head rested. Ever so slowly, his head began to rise and, when they were visible, Tim could see a fire, burning in the depth of those eyes; the eyes of the Oncoming Storm.

"You're right." The Doctor said in a no nonsense voice. "You both are. This is what I do and I do it for the safety of this universe. So let's go." Rose held him at an arm's length, her hands on his biceps.

"You're okay now?" She asked. He looked at her and, for a second, the fiery anger she could see in the depths of his eyes turned into a fiery passion. He bent his arms and took a hold of Rose's elbows, drawing her closer to him. He tilted his head down and captured her lips with his, kissing her chastely. He pulled back and once again looked into her eyes.

"I'm alright." He confirmed. Rose nodded.

"Good." The Doctor looked towards Martha and Tim.

"Thank you." he said to the young boy who grinned at him in return.

"Any time." Tim said. The Doctor turned his gaze to Martha and nodded. She mirrored his actions and gave a smile.

"Now, before that foolish headmaster goes and has his undertrained, under armed and under informed soldiers fight in a battle that is not theirs to fight, we've got to stop the Family. For that, we need to-" Suddenly a large bang erupted from outside. The Doctor ran, his companions following behind, to the nearest window and what he saw brought forth his rage again.

Large spheres, of what appeared to be fire – or plasma – were being shot at the village below the school. The Doctor's jaw clenched as he grit his teeth. "No second chances." He repeated to himself. He turned on his heel and stalked through the hallways menacingly towards the front doors. Rose, of course, was in step right beside him.

"We need to find their ship." The Doctor said to no one in particular.

"Remember yesterday, the green meteor-looking thing that landed in Cooper's field? It could still be there because they don't know we knew it was there in the first place." Martha offered. The Doctor nodded and took a hold of Rose's left hand. She was his rock and would make sure to keep him from doing anything overly rash or let anyone get hurt. He would, when he got the chance, however, make good on his promise to let the Family live out their lives forever. Just not in any way that they'd ever imagined.

Fifteen minutes later they'd exited the school and were now standing in Cooper's field; Rose, the Doctor, Martha and Tim. Once again, and though the others could not – Rose could see the hidden ship.

"It's like it's disillusioned. It's constructed to trick the mind as the ship surveys, reflects and projects the image of its surroundings." The Doctor had explained offhandedly.

"Like in Harry Potter?" Martha asked for further confirmation. The Doctor discreetly rolled his eyes and smirked lightly.

"Yes, like in Harry Potter." He'd answered. "Now," He said, back in business mode. "Martha and Tim. You two are staying here-"

"But-" Martha started to interrupt, but the Doctor held up a hand.

"No buts; you stay. You both are safer out here." He turned to Rose. "Rose-" he said.

"I am not leaving your side." She enunciated carefully and finally. The Doctor nodded solemnly.

"I figured as much which was why I was going to say, that while I'm talking my way through the ship, if you could drop the filters around one or the both of us, it might confuse them enough to give us the time to bind or knock them out." Rose nodded and the Doctor held out his right hand, wriggling his fingers. Rose laughed lightly and took hold of it, grinning all the while. Martha rolled her eyes while Tim stifled a laugh.

Rose and the Doctor made their way to the Family's ship and strode to the front door.

"Together." Rose said.

"Mutt and Jeff." The Doctor replied.

"Hope and Glory." Rose rebutted, amused.

"Shiver and Shake."

Which ones Shiver?" Rose asked with her tongue in the side of her mouth.

"Oh, I'm Shake." Rose laughed. "Ready... Bad Wolf?" the Doctor asked. Rose concentrated for a second which resulted in her eyes being tinged with gold, ready for her part in this mission.

"Ready Doctor." The two of them put a hand each on the door and pushed.

xXThe_Child_of_TimeXx

Their plan had gone smoothly and... to plan.

The Doctor had entered the ship first, acting like he owned the place, casually engaging its occupants in conversation. Though they hadn't really answered him, but he'd still just rambled on. He talked his way through the ship like discussed, pushing, twisting and flicking a bunch of seemingly random knobs or buttons, with Rose following a step or two behind, holding his free hand.

When they'd gotten far enough, the Doctor had gently tightened his hand in hers and she took that as her queue. After a minute or two of taking down the filter, the family had a look of euphoria about them; like they were basking in the glow of something monumental. And of course, to them, they were. The Family had been so out of it that hadn't even noticed being hit in the back of the neck, causing them to slump to the ground thanks to the human bodies they were using.

The Doctor had bound them and, of course, with the help of Rose, had exited the time bomb of a ship with their captives.

That was what the Doctor's meddling with the controls had done. Soon the ship would implode on itself and be gone, leaving the Family stuck to receive the justice they deserved.

They'd killed innocents in the town. They would pay. They _did _pay.

The Doctor hadn't wanted to kill them, Son of Mine had later realized. That was why they had disguised themselves. The Doctor would have wanted them to just die peacefully. But because of all of the death that they had caused, he deals them the ultimate punishments.

With Rose at his side, to assure him, the Doctor granted the Family's wishes; to live forever.

He traps Father of Mine in chains, forged at the heart of a dwarf star.

Mother of Mine is trapped in the event horizon of a collapsing galaxy.

Sister of Mine is put into every mirror in existence. When you look into a mirror and see something move out of the corner of your eye, it's most likely her. The Doctor visits her annually.

Lastly, Brother of Mine is suspended in time and dressed as a scarecrow; to forever watch over and protect the fields of England.

As everyone groups back near the TARDIS, the Doctor is looking wearier than ever. At least, to Martha and Tim. To Rose, he looks like he did when they first met in his ninth regeneration and he'd just gone through the Time War. Rose is at his side, gripping his hand furiously and trying to transmit as much love and reinforcement as she can through that one gesture. She can't do much else with the others around.

The Doctor looks at Rose with darkened eyes and she can sense the emotions coming off of him in waves. Right now, she thinks to herself. He needs to rest and just have a lie down in the TARDIS. I'll talk to him inside. Rose nods to him and the side of his mouth turns up slightly.

"Where will you go now." Tim asks. The Doctor turns to look at him. Forgetting, for the moment what he had to do he answers the boy.

"Oh, here and there. We go anywhere the old girl takes us really." Tim cocked his head.

"The 'old girl'?" he asks.

"Oh yeah, my time machine. Remember, we talked about her. The TARDIS; I just call her old girl." Tim nodded his head in comprehension. "Would you like to see her?" The Doctor asked.

"Most definitely." Tim assented. The Doctor smiles softly and turns around, opening the door to the still abandoned house, Rose following beside him and Martha and Tim behind them. He stopped just in front of the door and waited for the others. Once Tim was in front of him he smiled again and held up the hand that Rose wasn't holding. He poised his fingers and then snapped his middle to his palm. The TARDIS' doors opened a bit and the Doctor motioned Tim inside.

Tim took one step in and froze. "Oh my..." he trailed off. The Doctor was slightly put off by the lack of the usual "it's bigger on the inside" bit but let it go. He slipped in past Tim with Rose and Martha and made his way over to the console.

"She's beautiful, yeah?" he said. Rose grinned and ran her hand along the edge of the console. Martha smirked. Another thing that Rose had told Martha during the months was that she had a telepathic link with the TARDIS. Of course, Rose didn't tell her about Bad Wolf or about being a Time Lady, but at least Martha didn't just think of Idris as a machine anymore.

Tim nodded again and broke out of the slight spell that the gigantism of the inside of the TARDIS had on him. He walked over to the others, in awe of everything. "She's amazing." Tim stated. The Doctor nodded and twisted a knob before pulling a lever. Idris' doors swung closed and the time rotor begun emitting its wheezing noise. "What's happening?"

"I'm just taking you nearer to the school." The Doctor said. Rose smiled at the Doctor. Even when he was in a funk, he could file it away for later. She knew that when Tim was gone, he would get broody and that was when she would take him to bed and just lie with him and comfort him.

"_Rose._" Wolf said. "_Remember when Tim said he could see his own future?"_ Rose mentally nodded. "_In the original timeline, before you came back, the Doctor gave his Fob to Tim and that was how he knew when a bomb was about to hit his division. You need to get it for him because Tim is important."_

"_I figured out as much, Wolf._" Rose said. "_I'll go and get the Fob."_ Rose squeezed the Doctor's hand before loosing her grip and walking around the console.

She reached underneath the opposite side of it and felt around for the little nook that the Fob was stored in. All the while, the Doctor stood and watched her with curiosity. As did the other two. She finally found it and pulled it out, holding it up almost triumphantly.

"Rose, what are you-"

"Tim is going to need it." At the sight of the watch, Tim's eyes had grown as well as he recalled the intricately designed, silver Fob watch from his memory of the future... if that made sense.

"How do you mean." The Doctor asked. Rose looked at Tim and saw his face.

"You know what this is, yeah?" she asked him. Time nodded and slowly walked around to face Rose. She took one of his hands in hers and pulled it up. She then placed the pocket watch in his hand and closed his fingers around it. "You know what you're going to do with it and you'll know when. Just make sure to keep it on you at all times."

"I-I will, Miss Rose." Tim stuttered. He looked reverently at the small contraption in his hand that he knew would one day save his life. Rose just shook her head amusedly at the name. She walked back over to the Doctor and retook his hand. He looked down at her and raised his eyebrow. She shook her head and mouthed later. The time rotor stopped its noise making and the Doctor looked up.

"Here we are. Come on Tim, back to school." The Doctor led everyone out of the TARDIS and stood in the frame, himself. Martha walked over to Tim and enveloped him in a hug.

"Look after yourself." She said, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. Tim smiled as Martha pulled back. After that, Martha walked back to the TARDIS and entered. It was too cold for her liking.

Rose followed Martha's actions of hugging the young boy. "Be good." She said. "Don't get into too much trouble and watch out for yourself." Tim laughed lightly and hugged her back.

"You as well, Rose." Tim replied. Rose stepped back to the Doctor's side who just gave Tim a nod. Tim tilted his head back at him and smiled.

"You'll like this bit." The Doctor said to Tim who adopted a confused expression. Rose smiled and walked inside the TARDIS, pulling the Doctor in after her. He closed the door and was pulled over to the console. Again, he pulled the lever that would take them to the Time Vortex and the rotor began to wheeze.

Tim stood outside, transfixed as the TARDIS dematerialized. Yes he'd been inside when it moved but it was different being on the other end. He waved goodbye as the TARDIS finished dematerializing and then smiled at the watch in his hand. He tucked it into a pocket then turned around and walked around the school and into the rest of his life.

Inside the TARDIS, Rose's thoughts were confirmed when the Doctor's face almost sank. Martha noticed immediately and knew what the man needed. She excused herself, making up the excuse that after the weeks in that horrible, hard bed in the cleaning staff's quarters, she wanted to rest in her own bedroom. Rose silently thanked her by nodding and then turned her attentions to the Doctor.

"How are you?" she asked gently. He looked at her and shook his head. "Come on love." She said tugging his hand and leading him down the hallway. They got to his room and the Doctor looked around. Rose once again led him over to his bed and just sat him down. The Doctor's head drooped and Rose kneeled in front of him. She placed her hands on his knees and looked up into his eyes. "I will be back in five minutes." She said to him. He didn't acknowledge her, just stared down blankly. Rose stood back up and walked out of the room, across the hallway into her own.

She walked up to a dresser and pulled out some pyjamas. Walking into her bathroom, she got changed, brushed her hair and teeth and was walking to the Doctor's room again in red plaid flannel pants and a white tank top. The Doctor had moved so that he was lying on his bed on his right side, curled up slightly. He'd shed his clothes save for a white t-shirt and his boxer shorts. Looking at him, she sighed. At least he was under the covers.

She walked around the bed and got in the other side. She lay on her back and gently tugged the Doctor over so that he was using her chest as a pillow. Their old positions were reversed as he took comfort in her presence, his arm across her stomach and her right arm around his upper shoulders, idly playing with his hair.

"You did only what you had to." She said softly. He nodded.

"But I hate doing it. It makes me feel as though I'm no better than them. I condemn them with my judgement alone and I feel like I'm a bad person." Rose brought up her left hand to raise his head and look her in the eye.

"I get that you think that, I do." She said. "But you shouldn't. How many would have died had you not stopped them? How many would have died if, by some chance, they had gotten a hold of you or me? I know I've said it before but I'll say it again; Doctor, you save people. You're a hero who stays in the background, never asking for anything more than the safety of those you watch over. It's not even just Earth. So many planets or civilizations wouldn't be alive today if it weren't for you so you can't be hard on yourself." He looked at her for a minute, saying nothing.

"I love you." he then said. Rose smiled and bent her head to kiss him.

"I love you, too, Doctor. Now let's sleep. Martha had the right idea about sleeping in her own bed. Those ones in the room we had were so hard they could be used as coffee tables rather than something to sleep on." The Doctor smiled and lay his head back down on Rose. She then kissed the top of his head and let her mouth linger.

"Goodnight Rose." He said. She smiled into his hair.

"Goodnight."

They both fell asleep almost right away, not wondering what the next day would bring or what they would do. Just knowing that they would spend it together was alright; knowing that they would have each other, they would get through anything.

* * *

><p>So how was it. Was it any consolation for the delay. I hope to have the next one up soon but for "Blink" I want your opinions on whether I should do it from Sally's POV, the Doctor and Rose in '69 or the adventure that we get a glimpse of at the end of the episode entailing "Things happening - well, four things - well, four things... and a lizard."<p>

Leave your comments, questions and concerns in the review and I'll answer you when I get them. Thank you for putting up with my lateness and I hope I never keep you waiting this long again. I hope to start posting for some of my other stories soon so if you don't get a C.o.T chapter you get one of them.

Until next time! -BadWolf [I love being able to say that :)]


	9. A Modern Day Casanova

I know, I know, I am the worst person ever and I'm so very sorry for taking so long to update. I'm not going to make excuses because I know a lot of you will most likely not read this anyway, but I will say that I do, in fact, have a lot of this story planned out. It's all a matter of getting them to the situations I need them to be in. I have major plot points set out I just need to find a way to get from one to the other. No matter if it takes me a long time, I will _not_ give up on this story because it was my first fic and I really love what I have planned out and I hope you will, too.

Between updates of this, I have some fourteen other stories that are being planned because once an idea comes into my head I have to write it down, and sometimes that idea becomes an obsession that I have to keep expanding upon. So, I'm going to put up a poll because not all stories are for Doctor Who. I have Once Upon a Time, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Secret Diary of a Call Girl ideas.

That said, here's the ninth chapter of The Child of Time and I hope you wonderful people are all still with me. Also, welcome to the new ones and I hope you're enjoying this as well. I have chapter ten mostly written out and so if I don't get busy it should be up in a week or so.

Here we go.

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><p>The Child of Time;<p>

A Modern Day Casanova:

ooOoOoo

"Oh Cardiff, 2007!" The Doctor exclaimed, waltzing out of the TARDIS with Rose and Martha on his heels. He took a deep breath and reached back to take a hold of Rose's hand. She smiled and laced their fingers together, swinging their hands between them. Martha just smirked and shook her head.

"Really Doctor, all of time and space at your disposal and you bring us to Cardiff?" Martha asked. Rose and the Doctor stopped and turned around. The Doctor's smile didn't lessen at all and Rose's just got a bit wider.

"You see Martha, Cardiff was built on top of this... rift, in time and space that leaks loads of the exact energy that the TARDIS uses as fuel. Kind of like stopping for petrol when your car's running low. And the TARDIS needs a bit of a refuel after that incident with the weeping angels." Rose explained. The Doctor turned his almost manic grin on her.

"Those were definitely the worst months of my entire life. Cooped up in a small flat with you two, honestly-"

"Doctor!" A man's voice sounded from behind them. "Doctor!" It called again. Rose poked her head 'round the side of the TARDIS and saw the person she's last expected.

"Jack." She whispered. The Doctor's eyes widened at the revelation where Martha just arched one of her eyebrows.

"Come on, let's-" the Doctor started to say when Rose's head twisted back around so fast he'd thought it blurred.

"Doctor, it's Jack."

"Who's Jack?" Martha asked.

"Yes, I know it is which is why we can't-" Rose cut him off.

"We are not leavin' 'im." She said with finality and her eyes flashed gold briefly. It was fast enough that only the Doctor had caught it. He gulped and nodded his head, slumping down a bit.

"Again I ask: who's Jack?" Martha was slightly amused at the Doctor's reaction to this Jack character and wanting to run away. According to Rose's explanation of the rift, the TARDIS would at least need to bunk here for the day, soaking in the energy it needed. What, or who, could cause the Doctor to want to leave so fast?

"Doctor." The voice came again, although this time it was much closer. Martha looked and saw the origin of said voice.

Oh, she thought. That's who.

She looked aver the newly arrived man. Jack was wearing black dress pants that looked to be held up with suspenders and a tan belt. Tucked inside those, was a light-blue, button up dress shirt and over that was a navy-blue long coat. What looked to be hastily hung over his shoulder was a black backpack. On the wrist of his left arm, which was holding the backpack, was a thick black, tech-y looking wristband. His eyes were a bright blue, his jaw strong and his hair a chestnut brown.

All in all, he was quite handsome.

"I thought you'd leave." Jack stated, not breathless in the slightest from his run. The Doctor crossed his arms over his chest almost self-consciously.

"I would have." He retorted. Rose once again turned her glare on the Doctor who flinched back and let his arms fall to his sides. It was then that Jack noticed Rose.

His mouth hung open slightly more than normal and his hand fell from where it was holding the bag up, letting the pack fall with its movements. Rose heard the sound of the bag and its contents hitting the ground lightly and turned her attention to Jack.

"Rose..." Jack said almost disbelievingly.

"'lo Jack." Rose said, raising one of her hands in a short wave. Short because almost as soon as it was up, Jack batted it out of the air and grabbed Rose by her waist, pulling her in for a tight hug. He picked her up and spun her, relinquishing his hold on his bag as he did so, laughing. Rose held her arms around his neck for support and steadiness, all the while laughing along with her best friend. Behind her, her legs swung out in joy and delight at being reunited with the 51st century man.

Eventually though, Jack set her down on the ground and dropped his head into her shoulder. Rose's laughs stopped as she just held him as he did with her. And then her shoulder felt warm and she realized that Jack Harkness was crying.

"Jack." She said soothingly. Her hands played with his hair and his grip on her waist tightened.

"You're alive. Oh gods, Rosie you're alive!" He laughed again in joy.

"So are you, Jack. And what, do you think some measly Daleks are enough to pick me off? Jack, I'm hurt by your lack of faith in me." Jack pulled back and surrendered his hold on her waist, opting instead to hold both sides of her face between his hands. Ignoring the Doctor again, or still, depending on how you look at it, he bent his head down and kissed Rose.

It was a loving kiss, but one reserved for the best of friends; the kinds that have no reservations between them, especially when the friend you were kissing in elation had only recently been believed dead. It lasted but a second before they both pulled back, faces beaming.

Martha only looked on in shock as the – new to her – man kissed Rose.

The Doctor, though slightly angry, jealous and nervous, was happy that Rose was happy. He was angry and jealous that Jack was even kissing her in the first place but nervous because of Jack's being. He felt... wrong, like he shouldn't exist. Though apparently Rose didn't have those reservations. Or she did and was simply ignoring them in favour of greeting a lost friend she hadn't seen. Which was exactly what he, himself should be doing. The Doctor silently berated himself for letting his instinct carry him without thinking them over, especially when what they were warning him of was Jack... and he already knew why Jack felt that way. So, the Doctor pushed those feelings aside and walked over to the two.

The Doctor put his hand on Jack's shoulder and turned the man towards him. He then pulled Jack into a strong, manly hug... that lasted around a half a minute.

"I'm sorry." The Doctor started. "I shouldn't have left. At the very least I should have come back for you or searched for you. But Jack, I hope you understand why I did it. You're entire being is – is..." the Doctor frowned slightly. "You're a fixed point. Even being this close to you goes against every single one of my instincts-" Jack pulled back from the Doctor's embrace and copied his earlier action of cupping the Doctor's face between his hands and then kissed him to shut him up.

He pulled back after a short time. The Doctor and Jack both flushed slightly. One look at Rose and they would have seen her hand cupped over her mouth trying to reign in her laughter.

"It's alright Doctor. Just 'I'm sorry' would have done." The Doctor disentangled himself from Jack and straightened his tie before moving back a step towards Rose and tugging on his earlobe.

"Well." He said and cleared his throat. Martha then did the same, reminding the group that she was still there. The Doctor looked towards her and then his eyes widened slightly. "Ahem, yes, well Jack, this is Martha Jones. Martha, this is-"

"Captain Jack Harkness." Jack said, stepping towards Martha with a hand extended. The Doctor grimaced slightly though his eyes held a faint amusement.

"Stop it." He warned. Jack only turned his back towards the Doctor and smiled.

"I was just saying hello." Martha laughed and stepped up to Jack, taking the proffered hand. She let out a surprised squeak when Jack tugged her arm, catching her off balance, causing her to land in his embrace.

When Jack pulled back, he saw the raised eyebrow on Rose's face. "What?" He asked.

"You're being just a tad bit friendlier than usual." Rose remarked. Jack just smiled wider than he already was.

"I'm just happy, Rose. I thought you were dead and the Doctor abandoned me. I never ever thought I'd really see either of you again. And now, well here you both are, in Cardiff, where I work." He hugged Martha again, mirroring again his earlier motions of swinging the woman around and laughing.

"Never say never ever." Rose told Jack and then stepped up beside the Doctor, taking his hand. "I'm glad that you decided to ignore yourself as well. Did you not think I felt it? Mind you, I made him what he is so I guess my instinct is slightly less than yours." The Doctor nodded and looked down his left arm at Rose. He brought up his right hand to encase her cheek and pulled her up to meet his lips.

Rose smiled into the kiss and moved her own left hand to hold his forearm. The Doctor's hand moved from her cheek then to her hair and his fingers got lost in the golden locks.

A cry of, "Finally!" from Jack had them breaking from their embrace, slightly flushed. Martha stood beside Jack, smirking and the aforementioned man had a smirk on his face.

"Get rid of that look Harkness; this had nothing to do with you kissing either of us." Rose said. Jack's smile went from being bright to confused.

"It's true. Almost the whole time we were in the sixties they were all over each other."

"Why were you in the sixties for so long? And when did this happen?" Jack asked, motioning with his hand at the couple.

The Doctor gazed at Rose. With a look, they decided that here was not the place to talk. "Chips?" The Doctor asked. Rose beamed at him.

"You paying?" She asked, knowing that he only had credits and other alien currency. The earth money he'd need to go to the bank for and he gave her a look that said as much. "Right." She looked at Jack. "Jack's paying." Jack was about to refuse but the look on Rose's face wouldn't let him. He sighed.

"Fine."

The four of them walk to the nearest chip shop and bought their food, courtesy of Jack who had flirted with the cashier and had ended up getting them a discount.

Typical.

The group took a table, reminiscent of the last time they'd been to earth for a meal together. 'They' being Jack, Rose and the Doctor, back when the Slitheen had taken Prime Ministerial position. Martha took the place of Mickey this time but couldn't honestly be classified at the Tin Dog of the group.

First the Doctor told Jack when the two of them had gotten together and explained what exactly had happened at Canary Wharf and how Rose had come back. This was Martha's first time hearing it in full as well so she listened intently.

They then discussed the TARDIS trio's time in the sixties and the situation with the weeping angels. The Doctor talked about getting the Easter eggs on the DVD's that sally sparrow had given him.

"The best part though was how the Doctor explained time to her," Rose inputted. "'People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect. But actually, from a non-linear, non-subjective point of view, it's more like a big ball of-" Rose got cut off when the Doctor and Martha decided to continue for her.

"Wibbly-wobbly-" Martha said smirking.

"Timey-wimey-" The Doctor gave a dismissing wave of his hand but smirked as well.

"Stuff." Rose finished. Jack laughed at that.

"But Jack, you need to be so careful if you ever run into the weeping angels. You'd be like a source of perpetual energy for them. So don't blink. Don't _even_ blink. Blink you're... well, you wouldn't be dead but I'd gather that it would get confusing. Anyways, don't turn your back, don't look away and do. Not. Blink." The Doctor accentuated and Rose laughed. Jack looked at her, brow cocked.

"He said almost the exact same thing to Sally before wishing her luck." Jack gave a snort as well.

"Don't worry Doc, I'll be careful." The Doctor nodded and asked about Jack's job; why he was in Cardiff. Jack's face lost its jovial smile.

"Well," He started somewhat nervously. "I've been working for – well it's... you see the thing is-"

"Jack." He looked at Rose. "It's fine, don't worry." He could see in her eyes that she knew.

"How do you know?" He asked.

"I was... told." Rose settled on. Jack nodded.

"Torchwood." He said. "I work for Torchwood here in Cardiff. But Doctor," he said, noting that the man looked about to berate him. "It's changed. They're under new management and I, myself manage the one here." The Doctor still looked angry but nodded in acquiescence.

"So what've you been up to lately?" Rose asked and Jack smirked.

"Oh, you know, the usual. Catching rogue Weevils, fighting off the occasional invasion attempt, keeping the human race safe. Killed Abbadon and died myself for several days. In fact, I just woke up from that toll and was getting suited up when I heard the TARDIS materialising." All three of them gaped at the man.

"A-abbadon as in-"

"The Destroying Angel, Apollyon, the Devil. Evil incarnate." Jack nodded at Martha who slumped back in her chair.

Half an hour later the four of them were talked out. They chucked their now empty plates and made their way out of the shop. As they were leaving, all four of them saw the cashier who'd served them send a wink towards Jack who turned away giving a slight laugh.

"Well, aren't you a modern day Casanova." Martha said as they walked through the door.

As they started their trek back to the TARDIS, Rose lagged slightly behind for a minute or two. The Doctor soon noticed that they were short a member and turned back.

"Are you okay Rose?" He asked. He saw her smile at him and nod.

"Come on, blondie! Places to go, people to meet!" Jack said to the pair. Rose scowled at him playfully but only the Doctor could see before quickening her pace the few steps it took to catch up to the group.

ooOoOoo

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><p>I know, I <em>know<em>, it's short. But chapter ten should be a lot longer because there are two or three of the major plot points I mentioned at the top within it. I'm only posting this now and not already when I have ten typed because I wanted you to know that I'm not giving up on this story.

As I also mentioned, I will be posting a poll. If you would be so kind as to review and then maybe visit my profile and give me your input, I would be ecstatic.

Thanks to those of you who read my work.

Ciao bellas.

-BadWolf


	10. Author's Note and a Sneak Peek

Hey you guys. I know it's been forever since I've updated The Child of Time. Now, I'm not abandoning it, it's my first story and I've a lot of ideas planned out and written down for it, but I'm having an issue getting to those places at the moment. Because of this, I think I'll put it on hiatus for the moment and work on the other million ideas I've got.

So coming up, you can all look forward to stories in the following categories:

(Other) Doctor Who

Harry Potter

Once Upon A Time

Rizzoli & Isles

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

The ones I'm working on at the moment are an OUAT story titled Changing Fate and a Harry Potter one called The Temporal Mage of Old.

Here's a peek at Changing Fate. I own nothing recognizable:

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><p>"Run! Come on, we've got to get away!"<p>

"Don't you think I know that, dear?"

"I know! I know you know, I'm sorry. I just... I can't lose you too."

"I know love, I'm sorry for snapping. But I can't lose you either."

"I love you."

"And I, you." ... "I'm sorry."

"What? Why?"

"For what I'm about to do." ... "Hopefully things will be better."

"W-what's going on, what are you... no, no! You can't!"

"I have to. You have to fix things - you're the only one who can."

"Not without you!"

"You won't be without me. You'll just have to... do it again."

"I thought this would be our last resort..."

"It is. There's nothing else we can do. I have to do this. _You_ have to do this."

"... I love you. And I_ will_ find you again."

"I know you will... you _are_ my Saviour after all."

"And you are my Queen; my beautiful wife."

"I love you Emma,"

"Regina... _Regina_!"

...

"Goodbye... and good luck."

ooOoOoo

Darkness.

Scared.

Worried.

Loss.

Something.

A noise.

Light?

ooOoOoo

Emma Swan walked into her apartment, stumbling slightly after a long couple of hours in the uncomfortable heels. Her keys and a box in one hand as she used the other to balance herself against the wall. She kicked off her heels and walked over to the small island in her kitchen.

She dropped her keys and set the box down, opening it and carefully removing the cupcake within that she'd bought herself for her birthday and a job well done.

She looked around the apartment as the light flickered a couple of times. Emma's brow drew slightly together but then she shrugged and pulled a lighter and candle out of the island drawer. She stuck a candle in the top of the cupcake and set it aflame. Emma set the lighter down beside her and bent at her waist, resting her crossed arms in front of her on the island, and her head level with the cupcake, as she closed her eyes and made a wish.

"Another banner year."_ I wish I wasn't alone on my birthday._

Emma took a breath and blew out the candle.

And the lights in the apartment turned off.

Emma stumbled back a couple of steps, her head thrown back slightly. A rush of energy flew through her body and she remembered.

"Regina."


End file.
